Twisting and Turning
by Skylar Windsong
Summary: Naminé is a girl with the power of sunrise, the power to heal the sick and return youth to the old. She was hidden away in a tower by her 'mother' Maleficent in order to be protected. But Naminé wanted to see the outside. When a young thief who claims to be called 'Cloud Strife' stumbles upon her tower, it starts a journey Naminé's always wanted. Based off of Tangled.
1. Prologue - Sunrise

**Wow... another Kingdom Hearts parody of a Disney film from some random author. Yay! This is _Twisting and Turning, _a parody of _Tangled._ Mind you, while the end game will probably be roughly the same, the middle and journey towards the end result will be different, save a few points here and there which you absolutely cannot keep from anything based on** **_Tangled. _**

**DISCLAIMER: I, Skylar Windsong, have no ownership over Kingdom Hearts, the characters within said franchise as well as any other random Disney and Final Fantasy characters that might pop up. Should I own anything here, I wouldn't posting this here and Kingdom Hearts III would have been out already.**

* * *

**Prologue – Sunrise**

This is the story of how I died… Okay. You got me. It isn't really. Sorta. This story isn't even mine. It belongs to a young girl called Naminé. But it doesn't begin with her. It starts when a young Fae called Yuna accidently condensed part of the sunrise into a small, gold and white lily.

This lily was rumoured to heal the sick, no matter what their ailment as well as return the old and withered to youth. But nobody could find the flower, not even Yuna, who as a Fae, could live for just about forever. However, one person knew where it was. A witch called Maleficent.

* * *

_An old woman with white hair and skin so withered with age, it was almost green, approached a glowing flower. It was pure white except for a golden stem as well as small gold designs adorning the petals. The woman held her hands towards the flower and began to sing a song._

_"Flower of sunrise gold,  
Secret of life and wonder.  
Oh power of the untold,  
Save me from the yonder._

_Light of days gone past,  
Return what I lack.  
Allow my blood to last,  
Return what I yearn for back._

_What I yearn for back."_

_The woman's hair turned black and her skin lost its withered and green state, yet was still quite pale. Satisfied at her regained youth, she covered the flower with a camouflaged basket._

* * *

That's all she needed to do. Sing and become young again through the flower's power. Maleficent aside, a kingdom sprung up very close to the flower. It slowly grew over the years. Because of the large number of Fae in the kingdom, bright flowers grew all over. The kingdom was therefore named Radiant Garden. Now, centuries since Maleficent first started using and hiding the flower, the greatest King and Queen the kingdom had ever seen were ruling. Their names were Terra and Aqua.

Queen Aqua fell pregnant. But at the same time she also fell ill. Really ill. Ill to the point where it looked like there was no chance left for her or the baby. The greatest healers, human and Fae alike were sent to care for the Queen, yet none could cure her. But one Fae had an idea of what to do…

* * *

_"Excuse me!" a small Fae with brown hair in a white and blue dress piped up, the other healers and the King turning to her._

_"Yes?" another Fae asked her._

_"There's something that might cure the Queen. I haven't mentioned it before in case we found another cure. It's a magical white and gold flower. I made it centuries ago by accident. It has the power to heal the sick. I'__m not sure where is anymore though," the first Fae (Yuna) said quietly._

_The healers turned to each other and then looked at the King._

_"What is your name?" he asked the small Fae._

_"Yuna, my lord," she replied with a short curtsey._

_"Well then Yuna, you shall help lead the search parties for this flower."_

* * *

Led by Yuna, many of the kingdom searched for the flower in a desperate bid to save their Queen. Maleficent heard of the search and started to visit the flower more frequently, in order to prevent the searchers from finding it. She did _not_ wish to share the gift of the flower with anyone. However, she was careless.

* * *

_"What I yearn for back," the old woman finished, turning young again._

_"I swear it was around here somewhere!" a small voice cried out from nearby._

_Lights from Materia lanterns lit up the forest. Maleficent, knowing that the searchers were nearing the flower, hastily hid it and fled into the bushes. Yet as she ran, her own lantern knocked the basket off, exposing the flower. The bright glow attracted Yuna's eye and she led the searchers toward it._

_"There it is! My flower!" the tiny Fae cried out._

_The search party cried out in joy and under the careful instruction of Yuna uprooted the white and gold flower. Hidden from their eyes, Maleficent glared as they took away the magic flower that had kept her young for so long._

* * *

_The healers carefully created a medicinal potion with the magic of flower. In the process, the flower lost all its power. When deemed ready, Yuna brought the potion to the Queen who weakly took a sip. No sooner than she had swallowed, her skin regained its colour and she sat up, feeling much healthier. The King stared open eyed as Queen Aqua was cured in front of him._

_"Terra… I'm well again," she whispered happily._

_Terra and Aqua embraced. However, the sense of calm that gripped them was short lived. She quickly pulled out of the embrace._

_"Aqua! What's wrong?" Terra asked his Queen, worried._

_"She's coming! Our baby is coming!"_

* * *

The Queen had been healed but no sooner than she was, she as thrust into another emergency as her baby had decided to come. The healers worked through the night until the baby was born as the sun rose over the horizon. From the minute she was born it was clear she was special. Even as a new-born, the child had long golden hair. As the King and Queen held her, they could feel the magic coming from the baby princess. They named her…

* * *

_Terra held a small baby girl in his large arms. Aqua laughed as the baby began reaching for the crown on his head. She took the child from her husband's arms._

_"Have you decided on a name yet my love?" Terra asked, already deciding that Aqua should have the right to name the child._

_"Her name is… Naminé."_

* * *

You probably guessed that. To celebrate the birth of Princess Naminé, heir to the Radiant Garden throne, the King and Queen launched a kite into the air. Attached to the kite was a Materia lantern glowing brightly.

* * *

_Naminé reached up with her tiny fists, trying to grab the kite her father was holding. Aqua laughed warmly as she held her daughter. She guided Naminé's toward the kite and placed it on it. Terra placed his left hand on top of his wife and daughter's. Together they launched the kite into the sky._

* * *

For that small window of time, there was nothing wrong with the world.

But of course, it would never last. As the castle slept, an old woman appeared at baby Naminé's window.

* * *

_Maleficent, once again old, stepped into the nursery. She made her way to the peaceful princess, sleeping contentedly in her cot. The witch grabbed a hold of some of the girl's hair, careful not to wake the sleeping child. In her other hand, she held a knife._

_"Flower of sunrise gold,  
Secret of life and wonder…"_

_As the knife cut off a lock of the baby's hair, it turned from a golden blonde to a white blonde. The golden hair that was glowing beforehand stopped its magic and Maleficent became old once more. The witch stopped singing immediately. Her mind raced as she considered her next plan of action. She decided in a matter of seconds._

_Naminé's cries woke Aqua and Terra who rushed to their daughter's bedroom, immediately sensing something was wrong. They were too late however. All they saw was a cloaked woman steal their daughter and with a flash of green light, both the witch and Naminé were gone._

* * *

_Maleficent, now young, took a deep breath in and cast a spell, magically raising a tower._

* * *

Maleficent took Naminé to the borders of the kingdom, in a forest separating Radiant Garden from Enchanted Dominion. There, she created a magical tower and raised Naminé there. She had found a new flower and this time was determined to keep her.

King Terra and Queen Aqua sent many search parties out to look for their lost daughter yet were only met with failure. As the years went by, the hope of finding Naminé dwindled away. Three years after she was taken, the Queen had another child, Kairi. Kairi was told about her older sister from a young age. And every year, the red haired princess was given a great honour…

* * *

_"Mama, why can't I play outside?" an eight year old Naminé asked her 'mother'._

_"It's too dangerous for you out there Naminé," Maleficent answered._

* * *

_"Is it time for me to launch the kite now Papa?" a five year old Kairi asked her father._

_"Yes it is Kairi," Terra replied as he blinked back tears._

_Aqua wasn't hiding hers as she lifted her younger daughter up. Kairi took hold of the kite and launched it into the sky while thousands of others followed. Kairi gasped at the glowing Materia lights, hoping that her big sister Naminé would see them light up the skies._

_Naminé carefully snuck over to the main window of the tower she called home, her long hair trailing behind on the floor. She opened up the shutters and giggled in delight as she watched the floating lights decorate the sky._

* * *

Every year on Naminé's birthday, Kairi would launch a kite into the sky, which was followed by thousands launched from the citizens of Radiant Garden. The older princess, not that she knew it, would watch every year, always wondering why they chose to light up the sky on her birthday. Not knowing that she was the lost Sunrise Princess of Radiant Garden.

* * *

**So whaddya think? The stage is set, let the fun and games begin! Cookies for anyone who figures out who was narrating the prologue! Also cookies for any reviewers (minus flamer) and anybody bothered to Fave/Follow.**

**And a brownie for anyone who realises what song the title of the fic is referencing!**


	2. Ch1-Strands of Hair

**I promised some of you an update on Wednesday at the latest. Let it never be said I give up on my promises. But here's the chapter one, Strands of Hair!**

**DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts, Tangeled, Disney, anything belonging to Square Enix ans strangely enough Mulan as well now, none of it belongs to me. **

**Cookies for following go to... _Dreamer Boy, GameLord 4BritishBronies, Nightwing2593, Ryou Blaze, Timber Wolf of Purity, thelonesomeatrist and twostar_!**

**Extra cookies for faving go to _Dreamer Boy, GameLord 4BritishBronies, Nightwing2593, Ryou Blaze and Timber Wolf of Purity_!**

**Even more cookies for reviewing go to... _SpiritDreamWarriors, thelonesomeartist, Dreamer Boy and Ryou Blaze_! Seriously, you're all awesome!**

**But no brownies for anyone for catching what song the title is reference to :( (here's a hint: while not direct lyrics, the chapter title is a reference to the same song)**

**What are you still reading this for? Go ahead and the actual chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter one – Strands of Hair**

A cricket and small red dragon hid in the flower pot on the window sill.

"Cri-Kee, you had better not make a single sound okay!" the dragon hissed at his invertebrate friend.

Cri-Kee rolled his eyes as he hid underneath a leaf. The two quietened their breathing in hope that they wouldn't be found. A slam was heard from behind them and they both flinched. She was close.

"Mushu! Cri-Kee! I know you're here!" a girl's voice cried out.

The girl in question was wearing a pure white sundress and had golden blonde hair that stretched out behind her, going more than just 'touching' the floor. Her eyes were a bright sky blue and she looked to be in her teens. She stopped moving and listened carefully, smirking at the flower pot. She reached in and pulled out Cri-Kee and Mushu.

"Aww Naminé! We nearly had that one!" Mushu complained, the small dragon wriggling in the girl's grasp.

"You need to be quieter Mushu! I could barely hear Cri-Kee but your breathing was real loud!" Naminé laughed as she set them down.

The red dragon huffed and folded his small arms. Cri-Kee rolled on the floor in silent laughter at his friend's attitude. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to try and keep quiet? Mushu realised this and glared at the insect, stopping the laughter. Naminé giggled softly.

"Arrgghh… rematch!" Mushu yelled.

"That was our twentieth rematch Mushu," she reminded him.

"Well what else can we do?" Mushu asked.

Cri-Kee lit up at Mushu's question and eagerly pointed at the ground below. Mushu followed his pointing and his face broke into an excited smile. He too started to point at the ground, looking pleadingly at Naminé. The teen sighed and picked the two again.

"Nope… I like in here and you two do as well. Besides, Mother would be angry if we left," she explained.

"Naminé…" Mushu whined, pouting. He received a glare in return.

Naminé, still holding her friends, went back into the tower. She carefully out them down on top of a table. She grabbed a broom and started sweeping the circular room, humming a song as she swept.

"You could make yourselves useful you know!" Naminé called to her friends.

The dragon and the cricket made their way over to a sink, being careful not to step on any of Naminé's 70ft long hair. Slowly, Mushu lifted up a plate and Cri-Kee began to wash it with a cloth. Naminé kept on sweeping the large room. Her whistling eventually broke into an actual song.

_"Oh little girl,  
Naïve and young!  
To belong to a story,  
Yet unsung!_

_Oh little child,  
You hold out your hand,  
You can't see why,  
You fail to stand._

_Little girl!  
Sweep up the floor!  
Little girl!  
Step from the door!"_

It took her a long time but eventually the lower floor of the tower was cleaned. Naminé collapsed onto a chair, exhausted. Mushu and Cri-Kee ran over to her, making sure their friend was okay. The teenager laughed at their concern.

"I'm fine guys, really. You know I am," Naminé sighed. "It's just… I can't help but feel that there should be more to my life than just this. That my life lies outside the tower."

"_This_ coming from the girl who was _stopping_ us from leaving earlier? If you want to leave so badly Nam, and you know that you can, why not just go now? We can just leave now," Mushu said hopefully.

"Mother," Naminé replied in a soft voice.

Mother. What a strange word. For most people 'mother' is the woman who birthed them, raised them. For some, their mother may not have birthed them, but she certainly raised them. Others may never have met their mothers, or if they have, they can't remember. And very few refuse to acknowledge their mother completely.

Naminé's mother was a woman called Maleficent. There wasn't much resemblance between the two. Maleficent knew of Naminé's power and had hid her away, safe in the tower. For nearly eighteen years, Naminé had begged constantly to leave. Each time, Maleficent had shot her down. It was the simple and strange word 'mother' that answered all of Mushu's questions. Should Naminé leave, there was no telling what Maleficent would do.

"Well… I know one way you might be able to persuade her…" Mushu offered. Naminé stared at him. "You could always do _that_ painting… the one you started. It shows the reason why you've always wanted to leave! It might persuade her!"

"You know Mushu, you're right! That painting might be our ticket out of here!" Naminé laughed.

The teen leapt out of her chair and ran over to a door. Opening it, she quickly ran into her bedroom and retrieved a box filled with paints and paintbrushes. Running through the tower, Naminé made her way over to a section of the wall covered by a curtain. Most of the tower walls were covered in paintings. Pulling back the curtains revealed the only part of the tower that wasn't, or at least not entirely. There was a faint outline of a girl with long hair sitting on a hill, staring up at the sky. The sky was the only part in colour at the time. It was midnight blue with the exception of a large procession of multi-coloured orbs with small faint wings. Lights in the sky.

Naminé set to work, using her hair to get onto a beam. She coloured the girl's dress in white yet with some faint blue accents. Then she added various shades of green to the hill. Finally, she added golds and yellows to the hair. Satisfied, she dropped back down to the ground to look at her masterpiece.

"Naminé my girl, that looks awesome!" Mushu exclaimed, Cri-Kee chirping in agreement.

"You think so?" Naminé asked shyly.

"Know so girlie!" Mushu nodded ferociously.

The three friends stared happily at the painting, their ticket to freedom if all went well.

"Naminé! Let down your hair!" a voice cried from the bottom of tower, snapping them out of their thoughts.

"It's Mother!" Naminé exclaimed in surprise.

* * *

Three figures dressed in black coats perched on the roof of the castle. Two were larger men and the third was a boy in his late teens. The first man had short black hair, yellow eyes, an eye patch and a long scar running down his face. The second had silvery blue hair and blue eyes with an X shaped scar above his nose. The boy had spiky, honey blonde, windswept hair and bright blue eyes.

"Are you clear on the plan Strife?" the black haired man asked.

"Yeah Xigbar, I know the plan. You only told me about fifty times," the blonde answered; in reply Xigbar grabbed his collar and held him up by it.

"Listen hear Cloud Strife. Saïx and I are the ones in charge here. You're only here because everyone else in the Organisation was too heavy. You do this job, you become one of us. But rule one is respect your superiors, got it?" the older man growled.

"Yes sir!" Cloud croaked out.

"Let him go Xigbar or the kid will suffocate before he can do the job," Saïx shook his head.

Xigbar released the teen. Cloud doubled over and coughed a little before straightening up. Xigbar gave him a glare as if to say 'Talk like that to me and you _will_ die.' The three advanced across the roof of the palace. Cloud took in the view of Radiant Garden as he walked.

"I want a castle with a view like this," he whispered.

"You do this right and you'll have enough of the share to buy your own castle," Xigbar growled, patience wearing thin.

Saïx removed a dagger from his coat before carefully walking across a glass roof. Checking his positioning, he slowly cut out a panel and placed it to his side. He motioned to his team mates to come over.

"Let's get that rope around Strife," he whispered.

Xigbar tied a rope around Cloud. He grabbed the end while Saïx grabbed it from lower down. Cloud slowly climbed over the edge of the hole that had been cut. Signalling with his hands, he grabbed part of the rope as Xigbar and Saïx lowered him down. He descended into a large room. On a plinth in the centre stood a glittering golden tiara with three large diamonds in. The crown of the lost princess. A circle of guards surrounded it. Yet the man in charge must have been incredibly stupid as they were all facing outwards. Cloud carefully grabbed the tiara, making sure not to make a single sound.

But as Sod's Law would have it, his little 'discussion' with Xigbar earlier had cost them a few seconds. The few seconds in which the guard was changed over. The words in Cloud's head? They were _*censored* *censored _and _*censored*_. He tugged on the rope. The two men on the roof quickly pulled him up before any of the guards could send their spears through him.

"What did you do?!" Saïx hissed as he pulled Cloud out.

"They changed the guard at the wrong moment! It wasn't me!" the teen argued as he undid the rope and ran.

Quickly and carefully the thieves made their way down from the roof and ran out of Radiant Garden, a squad of guards behind them.

"Well it can't get any worse can it? Especially as it's only 11 in the morning," Cloud panted sarcastically.

Saïx and Xigbar face-palmed at their junior's stupidity. It was certainly going to get worse now.

* * *

**Feel free to review and end up leaving spoilers in your guess at who 'Cloud' actually is. We've all seen _Tangled _and it's not like it's that hard.**

**Mulan is one of my favourite Disney films and I absolutely love Cri-Kee and Mushu! Which is why when Mushu became Pascal's replacement, I couldn't split the two up! And it's not like Pascal is actually in Kingdom Hearts yet.**

**So reviews/follows/faves all earn you virtual cookies! And that brownie is still up for grabs!**


	3. Ch2-The daring escape of Cloud Strife

**Welp! Another chapter for you guys! And it's the longest one yet! I was hoping to get this up yesterday (a day early) but in the end, I had to upload this chapter on its normal Wednesday release.**

**Review cookies go to _thelonesomeartist, Nightwing2593, StarAF938 and Ryou Blaze. _Love ya!**

**Follow cookies go to _KnightEstoc and StarAF938!_**

**Fave cookies for _StarAF938!_**

**Still no brownies for anyone but I'll give ya all a hint at the end of the chapter! And with that, read on!**

* * *

**Chapter two – The daring escape of Cloud Strife**

"Mother's home! Hide!" Naminé whispered.

"Okay!" Mushu whispered back.

He and Cri-Kee scampered off into Naminé's room. Maleficent was unaware of the two's existence. Naminé had met them when she was eight, and the two had climbed up the tower together in curiosity. When Naminé first saw them, she was so surprised when Mushu started to talk, that she had ended up dropping a book on top of him. She quickly healed him, for which he was thankful. Seeing that she was lonely in the tower, the cricket and the dragon came to the agreement that they'd stay with Naminé and keep her company. However, there was an unspoken pact between the three of them to not alert Maleficent. Naminé loved her mother, but she was somewhat unpredictable and she was scared of what the woman would say about her friends.

"Remember to ask about the lights!" Mushu reminded before disappearing behind the door.

"Naminé, I'm waiting!" Maleficent called.

"I'm coming Mother!" Naminé called back.

She scooped her hair and then threw part of it onto a hook and let the rest drop down the tower. The golden locks fell down to Maleficent who grabbed them and hooked them around her feet. She grabbed a hold of part of Naminé's hair and tugged. The teen carefully pulled her hair up. She made sure not to go too fast or too slow in order to keep her mother safe. Maleficent reached the top of the tower and swung herself forwards, standing on the window sill. She carefully unhooked her feet and took Naminé's arm. Said girl helped her down. Maleficent gave her 'daughter' a quick embrace before pulling away, her arms still on Naminé's shoulders.

"Naminé, it's good to see you. I'm surprised you never get tired by all of that hard work," Maleficent said, a small smile gracing her face. But never quite reaching her eyes; not that Naminé noticed.

"Oh it's not that hard Mother. You're very light!" Naminé said cheerily. Maleficent gave her a look. "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to be insulting or offensive or anything…"

"Naminé, please stop prattling on," Maleficent said, removing her arms from Naminé and taking her coat off.

"Oh, sorry…" Naminé apologised in a small voice.

Maleficent sighed. She placed her basket down on a table and started to unpack it.

"I see you've been painting," Maleficent noted, nodding her head towards Naminé's paints.

"Oh yes!" Naminé exclaimed, confidence restored. "Actually I wanted to talk to you about that. You see…"

But Maleficent was having none of it. "Naminé, dear, I'm very tired from my journey. Would you mind singing for me? That always helps me. Then we'll talk."

"Oh okay!" Naminé said brightly.

Maleficent sat down in an armchair while Naminé grabbed a stool. She quickly sat down and placed some of her hair in Maleficent's hands. Making sure the older woman was comfortable, Naminé began to sing.

_"Flower of sunrise gold,  
Secret of youth and wonder.  
Oh power of the untold,  
Save me from the yonder…._

Naminé sang slightly quicker than usual and the healing power of her hair flowed quickly into Maleficent, who got a slight shock. It wasn't too bad. She felt her skin smooth and the slight aches in her bones fade. Maleficent sighed as Naminé finished singing. She felt slightly bad, abusing the trust of a girl who believed her to be her mother, but it meant eternal youth and surely Naminé would understand. So long as the girl never left the tower, Maleficent was assured the immortality she'd been denied so long ago.

"Thank you Naminé," Maleficent said quietly. The blonde teen smiled happily at her and all feelings of guilt vanished.

"Can I talk to you now?" Naminé asked.

"Yes my dear," Maleficent replied.

"Well, it's my birthday in six days," Naminé began. She ran over to the painting she'd finished earlier. "And I really would like to see the floating lights."

"The stars?" Maleficent questioned while staring at the painting, keeping her face neutral, yet internally panicking.

"No, not the stars," Naminé said with a slight giggle. "Stars are pretty but they're much further away and they're all a silvery colour. But these lights appear every year on my birthday and they're multi-coloured. I've always wondered what they are and they appear on my birthday. And I'm eighteen this year, so surely I'm old enough to go and see what they are and you can come too and…"

"Naminé, stop!" Maleficent interrupted. "You aren't old enough and you aren't ready for the outside world!"

"But Mother I-"

"ENOUGH NAMINÉ!" Maleficent yelled.

Naminé stared at her, crestfallen. She had been so sure that her mother would let her see the lights. She'd always been told 'when you're older you can leave the tower' and Naminé had honestly believed she was old enough now to leave. What was wrong with these lights? Normally whenever she asked to leave, she'd get a short 'when you're older; I'd only worry about you out there' and then the conversation would change. Maleficent had never yelled at her like this before.

"S… sorry Mother…" Naminé said quietly.

"I'm sorry for yelling Naminé but you know I'd worry about you. There are people out there, cruel people. You would be in constant danger," Maleficent sighed, hugging the girl.

"I know," Naminé mumbled.

"Listen, why don't I get you some berries and I'll make some of your favourite cake for later. Is that okay?" Maleficent asked.

"Okay," Naminé smiled, ready to forgive her for anything.

Maleficent internally smiled. She had this child wrapped right around her finger.

* * *

"How close are they?" Xigbar yelled.

"Gaining but still relatively far away!" Cloud yelled back after turning his head to check.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He would have grabbed the crown, gotten out of there and then become a member of one of the most prestigious crime organisations ever. He wasn't supposed to have been seen. They shouldn't have had to run away like that. At least they had the crown, but at the rate they were going they might just lose it.

"Pick up the pace!" Saïx screamed as an arrow whizzed right past him.

The three started to speed up, despite already being tired from running so far. Cloud felt an arrow whiz past him this time. He ducked his head in order to make himself less of a target.

"Split up around them!" one of the guards ordered.

It took all of Cloud's self-restraint not to turn around at the voice. Instead he kept his eyes forward and tried to convince himself that it hadn't sounded familiar. It was all in his head. His superiors started to accelerate and Cloud himself increased his speed, lengthening the gap between him and the soldiers. He started to relax a little as he ran, settling his body into a more comfortable rhythm. They could escape. They could get to the meeting point. This was going to be fine. He hadn't jinxed their luck earlier.

Actually, scratch all of those thoughts. They'd gotten into a dead end. If they spent too long trying to find an alternative route, they'd be caught. If they didn't try, they'd be caught. Cloud scanned over the area. A small rock face. If he climbed up… yes. That would work.

"Guys I have a plan. You boost me up and I'll pull you guys up after. Sound good?" he panted.

Xigbar and Saïx stared at him.

"I'm stronger than I look! Trust me guys!" Cloud protested.

"You're not Organization yet kid," Xigbar said flatly.

They were interrupted by the sound of horses and chocobos approaching. Saïx shot Xigbar a look.

"Fine! But chuck us the satchel and crown first!" Xigbar demanded.

Cloud chucked the satchel over to him. The two older men grabbed a hold of him and pushed him up. Cloud grabbed onto some rocks and hoisted himself onto the flat surface at the top. Xigbar gestured towards himself and Saïx. Cloud shook his head.

"Sorry but as you can see, my hands are tied," he grinned, holding the satchel up.

His former superiors remembered why they'd invited the kid to join in the first place. The best pickpocket in Radiant Garden. "STRIFE! YOU SON OF A _*censored because this is only K+*_!"

Cloud ran off as the guards surrounded the two men. He quickly looked around for a quick getaway. He needed somewhere safe. Word would get to the Organization that he'd betrayed them and they'd be after his blood. He'd get to Enchanted Dominion or somewhere, sell the crown and use the money to buy himself a castle somewhere. He wanted a castle. He spied one of the horses that had been dismounted. He quickly made his way to it, careful to remain unseen. Tearing off part of his coat, he gagged the horse and started to drag it off and when safely far from the guards, began to ride it. He got about four hundred metres before the horse stopped.

"Come on you dumb animal!" he yelled.

The horse in question, Khan, glared at him. Spying the satchel, he started to snap at Cloud. The teen realised that this horse wasn't as dumb as he had thought. He quickly dismounted and began running. Khan pursued him.

A horse can easily outrun a human. But after already giving chase earlier, Khan was tired. You could argue Cloud would be tired as well but he didn't have to think of a rider. The two were fairly even as they ran. Khan was a well-trained horse to the point his rider considered him an equal. He was smart and he could tell that neither of them would be able to run for much longer.

Cloud knew this as well and started to look for a way to lose his pursuer. He kept the satchel close to his body as he scanned around. Eventually he saw an opening in a large group of trees. Noticing that it would be hard for Khan to manoeuvre around in there, he quickly ran in. Cloud could hear the frustrated whinnies of the horse. He dodged through large branches, trying to find somewhere to rest. Khan was valiantly trying to navigate through the trees in search of him. Well, you had to give the horse some credit. He spied a small cave opening hidden behind a willow tree and dived into it.

Cloud hid behind a large rock as he heard Khan pass by. He slowed his breathing in order to make it less likely that he's be heard. He listened carefully as the brown stallion paused near the entrance. For what seemed like an eternity, Khan just waited there. Then finally, he left. Cloud let out a sigh of relief. In the corner of his eye, he spied at light at the other side of the cave. He followed it. Eventually he came to the light at the end of the tunnel (pun intended) and his jaw dropped.

"That's one huge tower," he muttered.

Before him was a (surprise, surprise) large tower. There was no door, only a window at the very top. The tower looked abandoned and there and then Cloud decided it would be his best bet for safety. He pulled out two knives from his coat and used them to start scaling the tower. He took his time.

As he reached the top, he found himself confronted by a large circular room. The walls of the room were covered by paintings. There was a kitchen and a staircase leading up to two doors. As far as Cloud could tell, there was nobody there. He could lay low here for a bit, let the guards get off his trail, avoid the Organization. Judging by how far he'd ran that morning (or was it early afternoon by now?) he was relatively close to Enchanted Dominion. He could escape over the border easily.

Cloud was about to sit down when something hit him on the head. Dazed, but not unconscious, he stared down and saw that a painting of a woman dressed in black had been shoved over his head. In fact, his head was where the woman's should have been! He turned around to see his attacker. The thief was met with a beautiful girl in a white dress and very long golden hair. Before he could say anything to the girl, she screamed and punched him in the face. Unknown to her, there was some nerve or bone in a person's cheek which when hit with enough force, renders the victim unconscious. Guess where the girl had hit?

Cloud's vision faded to black instantaneously.

* * *

**That thing about being hit in the face is true. My old Karate instructor taught me that (no he didn't punch me in the face).**

**CREDIT: Nightwing2593 gets credit for the idea of 'Cloud' being hit in the face with a Maleficent painting. Thanks! Have a brownie! And more cookies!**

**I dropped two potential hints about Cloud's and Maleficent's pasts. Can anyone figure out what they are? It's another way to win a brownie!**

**Talking of brownies, the hint about the song referenced by the fic title and the name of the last chapter. On my bio page is a list of my favourite songs. It's not directly listed but several songs by the same band are! Make good use of that hint! And cookies for reviews/follows/faves!**


	4. Ch3-How to deceive your mother

**Chapter three? Including the prologue, this is the furthest I've gotten with any of my stories!**

**Review cookies for... _thelonesomeartist, StarAF938, Inoma Callain, EggyMin, Nightwing2593 _and _Ryou Blaze!_**

**Follow cookies for... _thehomiewhowrites, Inoma Callain _and _EggyMin!_**

**Fave cookies for... _thehomiewhowrites _and _EggyMin!_**

**I love ya all, y'know. It's why I pushed myself to get this out on time and gave up on a few hours of sleep. I couldn't let you down you know!**

**Still no brownies... I take it you don't like them or my plan to convert everyone into Elevens isn't working?**

**Anyyyyyyyywaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy! Read on!**

* * *

**Chapter three – How to deceive your mother**

Naminé stared at the man in the black coat, whose head was still replacing Maleficent's in the painting she'd hit him with. He was lying on the floor after she'd hit him. She took a step back, nursing her sore hand. She had put her all into that punch.

"Hey Nam, who is it?" Mushu asked, climbing onto her shoulder, Cri-Kee on the other.

"I have no idea," Naminé whispered back.

The three studied him closely. He had golden blonde hair like Naminé, just a little bit more subdued. The rest of his body was obscured by his large coat. The stranger looked like he was around Naminé's age. Cri-Kee jumped off of Naminé's shoulder and inspected him further. Finished, he chirped something to Mushu.

"That's disgusting! He's probably not!" Mushu sputtered.

"What did he say?" Naminé asked.

"You seriously do not need to know Nam," Mushu replied.

Cri-Kee sniggered. Dismissing the cricket's antics, Naminé bent down. She kneeled next to the stranger and began poking his face. She lifted off the canvas. The girl lifted up his arms, rolled him over and tried to see if there was anything she could learn about him. A small brown bag hung on his right arm caught her attention. She lifted it off and opened it. Inside was something weird and alien to her.

It was a golden circle. Well, not a full circle. There was a slight gap. Opposite the gap, the gold rose up and framed three large jewels that were surrounded by slightly smaller ones. Naminé held it up, letting the light catch the jewels, turning them rainbow coloured.

"What _is_ this?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mushu replied. "Cri-Kee? You?"

The answer was a shake of the head.

"Negative from the bug. Maybe you wear it?" Mushu pondered.

Naminé thought about it before walking over to a mirror. She held the object up again, trying to figure out where it went. First she tried her wrist. No good. It hung off loosely. Mushu gave her a shake of the head. Next she tried around her neck. Again, no. It was hard to fit around and the jewels dug into her neck. Finally, she tried on top of her head. It fit perfectly. Naminé stared at the reflection in the mirror. It looked so pretty. Cri-Kee nodded his head. But Mushu shook his violently. Naminé sighed and took it off.

Trying to ignore how right it had felt, wearing whatever it was.

"Maybe not Mushu," she smiled sadly.

Cri-Kee began to wildly gesture towards the unconscious stranger.

"Oh right! We need to hide him before Mother comes back!" Naminé exclaimed.

Earlier, Maleficent had gone out to find some berries to make Naminé some cake to make up for their fight. The three friends didn't know how the woman would react to the stranger. Naminé picked him up, slinging his right arm over her shoulders. She dragged him over to a mostly empty cupboard. Mushu and Cri-Kee scampered ahead and opened it for Naminé.

"Thanks," Naminé mumbled, struggling under the weight of the man.

She pushed him into the cupboard then quickly closed the doors. Before she could even turn away, the cupboard opened and the stranger fell on top of her. Naminé pushed him up and off her, back into the cupboard. She held him up and turned his body around so that his back would lean on the side, not the front. Again, she slammed the doors quickly and learning from her mistakes, jumped back so that he wouldn't fall on her. This time, he stayed put.

"Hey guys, maybe if I show Mother I can handle myself she'll let us go outside!" Naminé said as realisation hit her.

"You know what, she might just!" Mushu cheered.

"Naminé! I'm home!" Maleficent called from the base of the tower before the conversation could go any further.

"I'm coming!" Naminé called back.

Mushu and Cri-Kee scurried off to hide while Naminé chucked the strange object from before into a pot, along with the satchel it had been in before. She ran over to the window and hooked her hair up again, before letting it fall down again. For the second time that day, Naminé pulled her mother up.

"I've got those berries!" Maleficent called upwards.

"That's great!" Naminé shouted back.

The teen helped Maleficent back into the tower. The woman discarded her cloak, dumping it on Naminé who quickly chucked it onto a nearby chair. Maleficent placed the basket down on a table.

"Naminé, I'm glad you've been okay. That fight earlier was hard on us both and I'm glad you haven't let it affect you too much," she said, throwing a slight distasteful glance at the painting on the wall. "Although, it might be best if you cover that painting up."

"Oh yes, sorry I forgot," Naminé apologised, blushing.

"Hmm, yes. It wouldn't do you good to dwell the stars," her mother replied testily.

"I know but-"

"Because that's all they are Naminé. I'd hate to have another fight about that," Maleficent interrupted.

"Of course Mother. But it's about what you said about me not being able to handle myself," Naminé argued.

"NAMINÉ! Enough with it all! You can't handle yourself out there! Drop it already!" Maleficent screeched, towering over Naminé.

The girl took a scared step backwards. She was internally freaking out again.

"Great. Now I'm the bad guy," Maleficent sighed. "Naminé…"

"All I wanted to say was that… I know. And I was going to apologise. And I thought of something else I want for my birthday," Naminé whispered.

"What is it Naminé?" Maleficent asked, the guilty feeling returning.

"New paints. From those shells you gave me once," the girl mumbled.

"Dear… I was gone for two weeks in order to get those last time."  
"I know. They just seem like a nicer present than stars."  
"I'll miss your birthday."  
"I won't mind! You'd be getting me something really nice for it! That would make it okay!"

Maleficent thought about it.

"I'll pack and leave this afternoon."

* * *

Naminé slouched down into a chair. Her mother had left ten minutes ago. She was exhausted. The poor girl had no idea how to deal with her mother acting like this. It was new to her.

"Hey Naminé? You alright my girl?" Mushu asked.

"Yeah," Naminé mumbled back.

"It's a shame about the whole no leaving thing and the fact that we couldn't show your mother that guy but…" Mushu trailed off as Naminé's face lit up.

"I've just had a great idea!" she exclaimed.

She leapt out of her seat and ran over to the cupboard. Naminé flung the doors open and quickly held her arms out to catch the man. He was still asleep. She pulled him into a chair and quickly started to bind him with her hair, wrapping it around him multiple times. Eventually his arms and legs were bound completely to the chair.

"If we can trust him and if he isn't here for my hair, he'll take us to the lights!"

* * *

Cloud woke up when something was slapping his face multiple times.

"Hey spikey head! Wake up!" an indignant voice yelled into his ear.

Slowly, the thief opened up his eyes. In front of him was a small red, wingless dragon.

"Arrghh!" he yelled as the creature stared him in the eyes.

The dragon scampered off. Cloud began to struggle against whatever was binding him. He tried to remember how he had landed into this mess. Running away, escaping that deranged horse, climbing the tower, a blonde girl and being knocked unconscious. Yep. That was everything. He took a look around. He was still in the tower. He examined his bindings.

"Is… this hair?" Cloud asked himself.

"Yes it is," a voice called out from the shadows of the room.

"Who's that?" Cloud called back.

"That isn't important," the voice replied. Its owner stepped out of the shadows. It was the blonde girl from earlier. Cloud realised that her hair was the same colour as the hair binding him. "But what is, is who you are."

"What?" Cloud deadpanned.

"I want to know who you are, why you're here and what do you want with my hair?" the girl asked.

"Again, what?" Cloud replied.

"Who are you? What do you want with my hair? To cut it? Sell it? Use it? Answer me! I'll punch you again!" she threatened.

"Madam, all I want is to get out of your hair!" Cloud yelled.

"Really, mister….?" the girl trailed off, realising she didn't know his name.

"Cloud. Cloud Strife," he replied.

"Well _Cloud Strife_. Are you telling me the truth?"  
"Yes! Now will you please tell me where I am and WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?"

The girl stared at him before walking off into the shadows. Cloud watched as she retreated. He heard small snippets of a conversation. It seemed like she believed him, but whoever she was talking to didn't. He focused on trying to escape again. If anything, that girl was good with her hair. He couldn't even reach his knife. The girl came back, this time with the dragon and a large blue cricket on her shoulder.

"We've decided to believe you, Cloud," the girl announced.

"Thank you for seeing sense….?" now it was his turn to wait for a name to be given.

"I'm Naminé," she smiled.

"Naminé, got it. Thank you for realising that I want nothing to do with your hair," Cloud thanked. "Can I leave now?"

"Not so fast. Do you know what these are?" she asked, gesturing at a painting behind her.

"Isn't that the glowing kite thing they do for the missing princess?" Cloud asked.

"I knew they weren't stars!" Naminé whispered to herself. "Anyway, in six days, they'll light the sky up with these kites. I want you to take us to see them."

"Sorry but no can do. That's going into the main city, and I'm kind of unwelcome there. All I want is to take my satchel and…. wait! My satchel!" Cloud began to struggle again.

Naminé giggled. This would be a piece of cake.

"I've hidden it. Without my help, you won't find it," she laughed.

Cloud scanned the room, trying to catch a glimpse of it. His eyes fell upon a misplaced pot.

"It's in there, isn't it?" he said, gesturing with his head.

Naminé exchanged a glance with the dragon and then the cricket. The two leapt of her shoulder and ran towards Cloud. They climbed up the chair and used some of Naminé's hair to blindfold him. He heard some banging around as Naminé searched for a new hiding place. Cloud strained against the blindfold as she ran around, searching. Eventually, the hair dropped from his face.

"Now I've hidden it where you can't find it. And without me, you never will find I," Naminé said, folding her arms smugly. "So you can raze this tower to the ground but you'll need me. Take me to see these kites and return me home safely within two weeks, then I'll return your precious satchel."

"You're dead serious about this. How do I know that you'll return it?" Cloud asked, staring hard at Naminé.

"I never break a promise," she replied, returning the stare.

"You got that right! If my girl says she'll give it back when we return, she means it spikey!" the dragon yelled indignantly.

Cloud knew he was beaten.

"Fine I'll take you to see the kites. It's four days journey to the main city. We'll leave in the morning."

"YES!"

* * *

**Not my greatest chapter but it should be okay. BEFORE ANYBODY COMPLAINS: I know I didn't put the smoulder in. But seriously guys. That isn't Cloud's (or whoever he really is) alley. He's not a ladies' man. I mean, he isn't exactly Flynn/Ugiene.**

**I made two new friends today. You wanna know how? One of them was talking about Kingdom Hearts to the other and I happened to overhear. Hello, instant conversation and now we're all friends!**

**Remember! Cookies for Reviews/Follows/Faves and a brownie for the reference! This chapter title is a reference to something else but that's blindingly obvious so no brownies! Have fun, wherever you guys are!**


	5. Ch4-We interrupt the scheduled program

**Wait a second... isn't it Sunday? Not Wednesday? What sorcery is this? J/K guys. Unlike most Sundays, I don't have any homework to do because it's half term week in Britain, so I ended up with a ton of free time. How did I spend it? By finishing up the next chapter! DO NOT BE AFRAID! There should still be a Wednesday update. Heck! There might even be a Friday update as well. Once this week is over, normal updating schedule will resume.**

**Please make sure you have read/reviewed the previous chapter though!**

**Review cookies: _SpiritDreamWarriors, EggyMin, StarAF938 _and _Nightwing2593!_**

**Follow cookies: _Magicallydeliciousluckycharms _and _xXEeveelutionAngel-InoXx!_**

**Fave cookies: _xXEeveelutionAngel-InoXx_**

**Here, have something a little different to start off with...**

* * *

**Chapter four - We briefly interrupt the scheduled program**

Princess Kairi de Hikari of Radiant Garden was pacing around her room. She was, to be honest, annoyed. For the fifth time that month, she was holding a crumpled letter in her hand. Her ruby hair fluttered around her face as she shook her head.

"It's getting stupid now," she complained. "We've refused his proposal time and time again but he still won't learn? I'm sick to death of it!"

"That being said, our refusals have to be careful," Queen Aqua reminded her.

The fifteen year old stop pacing and sat down in a chair. She sighed heavily, sending a light glare to her laughing mother. The kind queen's blue hair shook a little as she laughed, the sign of her Fae heritage gleaming in the light of the room. Kairi softened. Her mother was only teasing her.

"I know that mother. But surely Prince Hans has realised that we're not interested? I mean, it's common knowledge that his brothers have no part in the marriage proposal and that this is his idea alone. There's no major repercussions to my refusal. Can't they get him to stop?" Kairi asked.

"They can try. But Hans was the only one of the younger brothers who wouldn't let go of the fact that he wouldn't have a chance to rule. He's a desperate man. His brothers can try to control him but he'll stop at nothing to rule somewhere. That's why, as heir to the throne here, he wants to marry you," Aqua reasoned.

Kairi took in that fact. She had met Prince Hans a couple of times when visiting the Southern Isles. She'd liked his brothers but hated him. The others all made her feel welcome, he just strutted around like he ruled the place. Annoying. Desperate to rule? No chances here. And besides, there was another simple fact that prevented him from ruling as the king in Radiant Garden.

"Even if he were to marry me, he would not rule here," Kairi stated. "I'm not the heir to the throne."

A beat.

"Kairi…" Aqua sighed. "It's been eighteen years. We have to assume the worst. And even if Naminé was alive, she most likely has no idea who she is or what her heritage is. For all intents and purposes, you are the heir."

A frown.

"She's alive Mother. I can feel it. Twins aren't the only ones with special connections. One day, Naminé will come back to us," Kairi argued.

She left her seat and walked past her mother. She kept walking towards a painting hanging on her wall. There were no other children her own age in the castle, so the paintings had become Kairi's friends as she grew up. Her favourite painting of all was hung in her room. It showed a little girl of around eight years old dancing and smiling. The girl had golden hair and soft, sky blue eyes. She wore a white dress that floated around her. When the painting had been mysteriously sent to the castle, it came with the message _'Two lonely children both in need of a friend. For Princess Kairi.'_ Ever since it was given to her at age five, Kairi had loved the painting. Although she never would say it directly, she assumed the girl was Naminé.

"Maybe Naminé is looking for us," she whispered softly.

Aqua collapsed into another chair. It was strange that even though they had never met, Kairi still missed her sister. They all missed Naminé. Aqua too believed that her eldest daughter was alive. But it was so hard for her to think that she knew nothing about her. Where was she? What books did she like? What was her favourite food? Did she love singing to herself as much as Kairi did? A mother should know everything there is to know about their child. Aqua didn't even know if hers was alive. She was about to say something to Kairi when the door burst open.

"My Queen, my Princess," the messenger panted, clearly having ran as fast as he could. "King Terra requests your presence in the throne room."

Mother and daughter shared a look. This didn't seem good.

* * *

"Aqua! Kairi! Come," Terra said, gesturing for them to come closer.

The two rose from their curtseys. Upon seeing there was another man in the room, the two had decided to curtsey. It was something they would never normally do, as between the three of them, the only time they acted in their official positions towards each other were in the presence of others.

"My ladies," the man said, bowing deeply.

Kairi recognised him as Squall 'Leon' Leonhart, Commander of the army. She liked Leon. He'd taught her how to shoot when she was younger. He was an unusual man. Leon was the youngest Commander in Radiant Garden history. Kairi was always drawn to the scar running across his face. There were many things she didn't know about the man who had become an uncle to her. Why did he have that scar? Why did he change his name from Squall to Leon?

"Rise Sir Leonhart," Aqua commanded. The man rose obligingly.

"Commander Leonhart has come bearing grave news. Tell them," Terra said.

Kairi took in her father. He seemed tired. In this moment, he looked far older than he was.

"Your Highnesses, it is with great regret that I announce that the Organization has struck us directly," Leon began. "This morning, it was reported that while the guards changed, the crown of Princess Naminé had been stolen."

Aqua and Kairi gasped.

"How is that possible? The castle has the best security in the kingdom! How?!" Kairi asked, shocked that her sister's crown was stolen.

"This was an act of the Organization. Their members are trained to be the best criminals in all the land your Highness," Leon answered.

"Do we know where they went?" Aqua questioned.

"According to the message I received, the guards actually managed to catch two of them. However, the third escaped, taking the crown with him," Leon replied, bowing his head. "I've already dispatched search parties looking for him. We have also contacted the army of Enchanted Dominion, in case he fled there. They are keeping their eyes open on our behalf."

"This third man is confirmed to be called Cloud Strife. As soon as he is found, we will have him punished. Severely," Terra muttered.

"Death?" Kairi whispered hesitantly.

"Yes."

The teen thought about that.

"You'd better let me talk to him first. I want to know why he did it. Then you can do whatever you have to do."

* * *

Cloud slowly woke up. He then jumped up quickly, not recognising the room. It wasn't the room the Organization had kept him in. Isn't that where he was supposed to be? Then he remembered Naminé. She'd kept him locked in that room overnight. It was to stop him from escaping and looking for the satchel. In case he had decide to leave without guiding her to the kites. To be sure, she had gotten the small red dragon Mushu to guard the door of the simple bedroom he'd been kept in. His black coat was slung over a chair, but over than that, his clothes were still on him. Beige slacks, a white shirt and brown jacket with simple brown boots. Cloud stretched, yawned, then got up and walked over to the door.

"Hey, I'm up," he called out.

"Oh! Coming!" Naminé's voice called back.

The door opened, revealing the young girl. She wore the same white dress and some blue sandals. Her hair trailed off behind her. Cloud couldn't help but wonder why her hair was so long. It would just get in the way. But he didn't ask about it.

"When do you plan on leaving?" he asked instead.

"Not too long from now. As soon as you've had some breakfast," she answered.

Cloud sat down at a table while Naminé placed a plate of toast and some water in front of him. As he ate, she flitted around the room, packing some supplies into a backpack. It was really just some bandages and a little bit of food. They didn't need much. Cloud had told her the night before that he could hunt, which cut down a bit on the amount they needed to pack. Their major problem was money. Cloud had a small bag of Gil and Munny coins, but when they got to the city, they might have to stay in inns instead of camping, which was what they were planning to do at night. The two teens were unsure if Cloud's meagre funds would cover it. In the end, they decided it would have to do so Naminé packed it into bag.

"Have you already eaten?" Cloud asked.

"Yes. We ate while we were waiting for you to wake up," Naminé answered. Cloud went back to his food, satisfied with her answer.

"What are we going to do about my coat? Now that I'm… no longer working with certain people, I shouldn't really be wearing it any more. Plus it would make the guards' job of finding me a lot easier if I wore it," Cloud said once he had finished.

"We could just leave it here," Naminé suggested. "And I can keep it once you go and hide it from Mother."

"Fine," Cloud shrugged. He never had liked that coat.

He got up from the table and grabbed the backpack, intention clear. Naminé nodded and gestured for Mushu and Cri-Kee to get onto her shoulders. Cloud carefully started to climb out the window and make his descent using his two knives. Naminé opted for a quicker method. While Mushu and Cri-Kee secured themselves with shorter strands of hair, Naminé the rest on the hook. She looked back into the tower. For a short second, she considered backing out. She shook herself and looked ahead.

"No going back now," she whispered to herself.

Naminé took a breath, and jumped.

As she flew downwards, she cried out in joy as the wind whipped past her (Cloud made sure his eyes were shut until she was past him). The teen swung from side to side a little as she descended. It didn't matter. Naminé was doing something she felt that she should have done a long time ago. Her feet pressed against the ground and Naminé let go of her hair.

She was outside the tower.

_She was outside the tower!_

Laughing in sheer and utter euphoria, Naminé danced around. The breeze brushed against her face. It felt amazing! She'd never felt the wind or the sun on her skin before. The girl cried out in joy as water from the stream splashed onto her. So cool and refreshing! Cloud watched from a distance.

"You'd think she'd never been outside before," he muttered. Cri-Kee, who had come to stand on his shoulder for a while, shook his head sadly. "She hasn't?"

Cloud's gaze turned sad. It looked like he wasn't the only one with a messed up childhood.

"Hey Naminé! We need to get moving!" he called out.

Naminé turned to him and nodded. Her smile was wide and her eyes were all lit up. But as they walked through the cave. It slowly faded.

"What would Mother say?" Naminé whispered. "She'd be heartbroken!"

"Uh oh," Mushu muttered.

The next few hours were filled with Naminé going through various mood shifts. She'd hop from saying 'Best day of my life!' to 'I'm a terrible person!' She'd say she would never go back, then quickly say that she had to go back. It was like watching a tennis match. Her moods kept swinging from side to side. Cloud tried to be patient. Tried to remember the fact that Naminé had spent her entire life trapped in a tower. Tried to remember that this whole new environment for her and she was bound to be going through some shock. But as they finished their meagre lunch (a small roll of bread each) it got too much.

"Naminé, you've spent the entire morning swinging from one mood to the other! Calm down!" he snapped while she was in one of her downs. He immediately regretted it. "Sorry, that was a bit harsh."

"No, you're right. I do need to calm down," she smiled, wiping away a few stray tears.

"HOW ABOUT I RIP OFF ONE OF YOUR LITTLE LEGS AND CHUCK IT INTO A LAKE, SHRIMPY?! THEN WE'LL SEE WHO THE REAL LOSER IS," Mushu yelled at Cri-Kee, causing the two humans to look at them.

"What do you mean my legs are too small for my body? Yours are smaller!"  
"Oh it is on!"  
"COME HERE SO I CAN RIP THAT SMUG LITTLE GRIN OFF OF YOUR FACE!"

Cloud and Naminé shared a look, before bursting into laughter.

* * *

**That end part was some of the obligatory Mushu/Cri-Kee humour which was long overdue.**

**So I introduced Kairi, which took up half the chapter space. She'll be making an appearance every now and again. But next chapter is solely Cloud and Naminé with maybe a slight... someone else. LEAVE YOUR GUESSES HERE!**

**So follow/fave/review and I'll still update on Wednesday as well!**


	6. Ch5-Lockharts always repay their debts

**EEEHHHHH? TUESDAY? Well, it is half term. So I managed to get the Wednesday chapter out a day early. And who knows? There might be one on Friday or Saturday as well! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS! IF YOU CAME HERE ON WEDNESDAY AND CLICKED THE SKIP BUTTON, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ THE PREVIOUS TWO!**

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**Fave cookies: _Muffinmilk317 (forgot you last chapter! sorry!), Pluviophile200, SpiritDreamWarriors _and !**

**Well on with the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter five – Lockharts always repay their debts**

The four continued to walk for a few more hours. But it soon became clear that they'd have to find shelter at some point so that they could eat and later sleep. Cloud was consulting a map to see where they were. The problem was, the tower was for obvious reasons, not on any maps. That made it harder to tell where they were. Thankfully, Cloud was starting to recognise some familiar paths.

"Hey Naminé," he called out to the girl.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I know where we are now," Cloud replied. Naminé's face lit up.

"That's great!" she exclaimed happily. "Is there somewhere nearby where we can rest?"

"Weeeellll…." Cloud trailed off.

Sure there was somewhere nearby. He just didn't know whether it was safe to go there or not. He was now wanted by the kingdom and the Organization. Somebody was bound to rat him out if they went _there_. But there was that person who had promised to help him if he ever needed it….

"There is somewhere close by. An inn," he said.

"Will it be safe?" Naminé asked, well aware that Cloud was a wanted man.

"To be honest, I'm not 100% sure. It's a place which answers neither to the kingdom or the Organization. It's supposed to be neutral ground, which means it can attract some shady characters. Yet the owner owes me a debt. So I think she should be able to give us some food and a safe place to spend the night. It's called Gate to Heaven. Wanna go?" he smiled.

Naminé considered this. She knew her existence was a secret and that nobody there would have any clue about her hair. But shady characters didn't sound so nice. And even if it was neutral ground, Cloud probably had some price on his head and there was bound to be somebody who would get greedy and want that money. Yet she knew nothing of how these places worked. Did the owner have enough power to keep them safe? Cloud seemed to think so. She'd just have to trust him on this.

"Okay," she nodded.

Cloud grinned and directed her through a pathway of trees. Mushu and Cri-Kee were having another argument again on her shoulders.

"Godzilla would so totally kick the daylights outta King Kong!"  
"Whaddya mean he wouldn't!"  
"We both know that the 2014 incarnation would have that kinda power!"  
"You're the shrimp!"  
"I am the right size!"  
"THAT SMUG LITTLE GRIN IS GONNA END UP IN A BLENDER ONE DAY!"

"What are they talking about?" Cloud asked, taking a step away.

"Just grin and bear it. I gave up any hope of understanding their arguments years ago," Naminé sighed.

"KING KONG AIN'T GOT _*censored* _ON GODZILLA, BUG!"  
"YOU WEREN'T EVEN IN THE GAMES! AT LEAST I WAS! WHO CARES ABOUT THE FIRST FEW MANGA BOOKS?!"

"Seriously, just roll with it Cloud. It's your only chance," she shook her head.

"Okay, I'll try," he stated. "Anyway, we're nearly there."

Cloud carefully guided the girl through a few more trees until they emerged next to a beaten path. On the side of the path was a fairly large wooden building. There was a sign reading _Gate to Heaven_.

"There it is. Gate to Heaven. One of the two finest inns in Radiant Garden. Also one of two neutral inns," Cloud announced proudly. "You might wanna hide those two though. And hold the hair up, or it will get in the way."

"Alright," Naminé nodded, scooping up her hair whilst Mushu and Cri-Kee hid in the locks framing her face.

The group walked into the inn. Not many people looked up as they made their way towards a table at the back. A few people did though. Slowly, their eyes were drawn to Naminé's long hair, and they started nudging their friends, getting them to have a look. Naminé shrunk a little under the stares. At least the people didn't look too bad. Although, there were a few people whose faces were marred by ugly scars. Cloud gripped her arm, steering her towards the back. An arm shoved in front of them, making Naminé jump and squeal while Cloud swore internally.

"You're that Cloud Strife kid, ain't ya? You're the one wanted both by the Organization and the army," a voice snarled.

Cloud turned to the owner. It was a man a bit taller than him with short blonde hair and a scar going across his face.

"Move your arm before I get rid of it," he growled out, slowly moving his arm towards his knives. A pair of arms seized him from behind.

"Which one's offering the highest reward?" somebody yelled out.

"The kingdom!" somebody shouted back.

"Fuujinn! Go find the nearest guards!" the first blonde shouted. A woman with blue hair and an eye patch nodded and ran off.

"No way! That money's mine!"  
"It's mine!"  
"Dingbats! That reward is heading my way!"

Cloud was thrown around the room. People snatched at him, intent on getting the money. He tried to reach for his knives but couldn't. Naminé let go of her hair and started to grab at whoever was closest, trying to get back to Cloud. It wasn't easy as various people were stepping on her hair.

"Yer' a preety lil' lassie," some geezer said to her. "And tha's a 'ole lotta 'air. Dump mister o'er there and come wit' me."

"No! He's my guide! I need him to take me to the kites! I've dreamed about them my entire life! Haven't you guys ever had a dream?!" she screamed.

Everyone who heard simply laughed and resumed fighting over Cloud. Naminé tried to grab onto various people's arms, but she was simply knocked back. Mushu leapt from her shoulder and began to bite the backsides of whoever was holding Cloud at the time. Naminé kept getting up from the ground, trying to fight her way over to Cloud.

"EVERYBODY SHUT YOUR DANG MOUTHS AND LET GO OF THE FLIPPIN' KID!" a voice screamed out.

Everybody stopped and turned to the counter. Two young women who could have still been teens were standing at the bar. The one who had just shouted was a red-head in a waitress outfit. The other was a woman in a black dress with blue eyes and short black hair.

"Thanks Linn," the black-haired one said.

"Anytime Xion," the red-head replied.

"Everybody calm down and listen to me! Seifer, let go of Strife," Xion ordered. The first blonde reluctantly put Cloud down. "Thank you. You're all idiots you know! This is neutral ground. No guards, no Orgs. Cloud Strife is one of our patrons. He and his friends can come here and be safe. You bring guards here, you sign your own arrest warrants."

"But what about the money?" somebody asked.

"I don't care about the money!" Xion yelled. "We're neutrals here. We only side with the kingdom when we decide the situation calls for it and that's when one of our own needs them. Are you all inhumane brutes? Didn't you hear that girl, er…?"

"Naminé," said girl said, bowing her head respectfully.

"Naminé. Didn't you hear what she said? Dreams people. I got my dream. Open up a place where people can be safe, neutral. Anyone with a dream, shout it out now!" Xion commanded.

"Open a café!"  
"Find love!"  
"Artist!"  
"Pianist!"

"See?" Xion pointed out. "I'd do everything I could to help you guys get your dreams. Naminé's is to see the kites. She needs Cloud for that. So the one who sells him out to the guards or the Orgs can consider himself neutral no more, and he can rot in the sewers for all I care."

The crowd around Cloud and Naminé dissipated. Mushu ran back onto his friend's shoulder, trying to rid the awful taste of backsides from his mouth. Xion said something to Linn. The other girl nodded and moved away. Xion walked over to the blondes and led them over to an empty table. The three sat down. Naminé let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"That was foolish '_Cloud_'. You should have known that somebody would try to sell you out," Xion reprimanded.

"Xion, I knew you'd save me," the thief grinned.

"You sure about that? I could do with some money," the innkeeper frowned. "Just be glad my family owe the Strifes a debt which even this still hasn't repaid. And the Lockharts always repay their debts."

"Xion, I knew that. But please, beyond the debt, we're friends. I knew that either way you'd help us out. We need food and somewhere to stay the night. We gotta get to the main city by kite day," Cloud stated. Linn came with three glasses of water and placed them on the table before leaving to serve others.

"You never change," Xion sighed, letting her face fall into a soft smile. "So kites huh? That your dream Naminé? To see them?"

"Yes. My mother never let me leave home to see them. She's very overprotective," the blonde girl said nervously.

"Relax. You're safe here. That's some long hair," Xion commented.

"Oh… I suppose it is. Mother's family had some odd superstitions and the cutting of blonde hair was supposed to bring you bad luck," Naminé laughed, crossing her fingers under the table.

"Hmm…" Xion mused. "How about I show you two your rooms and have Linn bring some food up? You both look absolutely beat."

"Sounds great. Thanks Xi," Cloud grinned.

* * *

_Earlier_

Maleficent was making her way through the vast woods. It had been almost a day since she had left. The woman felt a little bad about leaving Naminé but she had indoctrinated that girl enough to trust the fact that she'd stay in the tower. A sharp rustle from nearby startled her. A dark brown horse jumped out from the bushes. Maleficent grabbed her dagger and held it out in surprise. The horse stared at her, baring its teeth. It relaxed when it realised she wasn't the one it was looking for. Maleficent relaxed as well.

"A palace horse," she sneered, referring to the official Radiant Garden symbols on its saddle. Something bugged her. "Where's your rider?"

Realisation came crashing down like a ton of bricks.

"NAMINÉ!" she screamed.

Maleficent ran from the confused horse and into a nearby clearing. Calming herself down, the witch raised her arms above her head. It had been a long time since she'd used any of her powers. Not since she'd created the tower. The witch had decided not to use them while she raised Naminé. But now she summoned darkness to carry her to the tower. She was worried after all. The darkness quickly took her to her destination.

"Naminé! Let down your hair!" she called up.

No hair fell down. She called again. No hair.

The witch panicked and used the darkness to carry her into the actual tower. She screamed her 'daughter's' name over and over but was given no response. The woman collapsed into a chair, exhausted. A glimmer of light caught her eye. She walked to the stairs and lifted up the wooden board of one of them. Underneath was a satchel. Half in, half out of the satchel was a crown.

The crown of Princess Naminé.

Maleficent had never felt so scared. Did somebody know?

"No, they don't," a voice said. Maleficent turned to face the owner. It was a young girl in a white dress. She had dark brown hair with a single purple streak and teal eyes. On her back was a pair of grey wings.

"If it isn't the messenger girl," the witch sneered.

"Maleficent," the girl nodded. "That secret is safe. Although it may not be for long. Your time may be coming witch. The Goddess Etro sent me to warn you. She is not happy with you escaping death for so long."

"Etro holds no control on me. I shape my own path," Maleficent snarled.

"You may believe so. But the pieces you put onto the board are falling into place. The Fae banished you from their midst for a reason. You should have died. Yet you chose to cheat death, knowing that when you did die, you would face Etro's wrath. I warned you of this centuries ago. Your time is coming. So is the time of that friend of yours. Etro will force you to pay, Maleficent. How much will you shovel up?" the girl smirked, vanishing with the wind.

Maleficent glared at where she once stood. She summoned a wave of darkness with her hand and spread it through the room. A memory from the day before played in front of her. It showed Naminé and another boy. Cloud Strife. So the child had decided to leave. No matter. The girl was putty in her hands. As for the boy, she recognised the name Strife. She smiled and summoned a black shape to her hands. A crow landed on her arm.

"Hello Diablo," she smiled to the crow. "So good to see you again. I need a favour old friend. I need you to fetch me our other old friend. I might need a favour from him as well."

* * *

_That night_

Cloud was sleeping soundly. He was well fed and warm. Not bad for their first night of the journey. Of course, Sod's law.

"Cloud! Wake up!" a voice whispered harshly.

A hand shook him. Cloud slowly yawned, stretched and opened his eyes. Xion's face greeted him.

"Xion? What the heck? I was trying to sleep!" he moaned.

"Yeah yeah. It's three in the morning. You hit the sack at eight because you're a lazy bum. You've gotten enough hours. Quickly get up and get dressed," the girl hissed.

"Why?" Cloud questioned, puzzled at his friend's behaviour.

"Fuujinn got to the guards earlier. I set some lookouts in case and they spotted them. They're nearby. You and Naminé need to get out of here. _Now_," Xion whispered.

She left the room quickly. Cloud pulled on his clothes as fast as he could. He quickly grabbed the backpack which Linn had graciously topped up for them. The thief pulled it on and rushed out the room. Naminé, Xion, Mushu and Cri-Kee were there waiting for him. Xion motioned for the guests to follow her. She led them behind the counter and pulled a lever. A passageway opened up.

"This is Three Days Path. It will take you three days following it to get to the main city. When you're there, get to 7th Heaven, my sister Tifa's bar. It isn't completely underground. You need to get down there now and don't stop walking until the night. Go!" Xion pushed them into the passage.

"Thanks Xion," Cloud smiled.

"Lockharts repay their debts. Now hurry!" she whispered.

The blondes disappeared. Xion readied herself for the guards.

* * *

Later, the lights were on in the inn. Various torches lit up the main bar as guards searched.

"I told you, he left ages ago. He never mentioned where he was heading to," Xion argued indignantly.

"Ma'am, we must find this thief. I don't care what you say. If he was here earlier, he may still be here," the captain argued.

Xion huffed. Everyone had been briefed on the story. They hadn't recognised him and he'd left hours ago. It was going fine, until the door burst open. A horse appeared at the doorway. One of the guards shouted the name Khan, but Xion let it go over her head. There was something about that horse. It sniffed around the room, stopping near the counter. Xion's pulse quickened as it neared the lever. Sure enough, it found the lever and pushed it, opening the passage. It whinnied and motioned for the guards to follow.

"You! Stay here! Guard these two!" the captain yelled at one of his subordinates while motioning to the Orgs they'd caught the day before.

Xion watched as the guards left. The two Orgs knocked out the guy left behind to guard them. They grabbed his sword and spear then used them to undo their bindings. She'd seen them just knock out a guy using only their heads. She wouldn't go against them while they had weapons. So she watched as the descended into the tunnel as well. She prayed that her friends would be safe.

* * *

A teenage guard with spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes trudged along the passage.

"You alright Sora?" one of his companions asked.

"Yeah! I'm good Wakka!" he called back, giving his friend a goofy grin.

_Why? Why did you fall in with those guys big brother?_

* * *

OMAKE

As Naminé slept, Mushu and Cri-Kee were having an avid conversation.

"Can't you see Cri-Kee? That argument we had earlier, we saw through! The fourth wall is breaking!" the dragon exclaimed.

"We won't get in trouble!"  
"Suuureeee. You can stay here then and never be in the Kingdom Hearts games."  
"It's easy! We breach the wall, get past the patrols, catch a hike to Japan and demand that a reprint of the manga, get ourselves in it and get you in KH3!"  
"You're coming? Really! This will be a piece of cake!"

"You so sure?" a voice said from behind, spooking them.

They turned to see the author standing behind them, purple eyes glaring at them.

"Aww dangit!" Mushu muttered.

"Nightwing, I reached the breach," the author said into a walkie-talkie.

"Got it Skylar! Freakazoid is still distracting Deadpool. Fred's working on that trap and Luna says she'll be over to reinforce the wall," a voice replied while someone on the over end was yelling 'three Snorcacks!'

"You won't get away with this! We'll get past that wall" Mushu yelled at Skylar. She smiled and clicked her fingers. A large sword swung downwards, narrowly avoiding the screaming Mushu and Cri-Kee.

"I beg to differ. I'm Skylar Windsong, the author. I can do as I please and you won't be able to do anything about it," the author smirked. "Now come along mister! You're on patrol duty again!"

"Just because I owe you a debt doesn't mean you can treat me like a slave," the sword owner grumbled, shaking his head and causing his blonde spikes to shake. "It's bad enough you're letting that kid use my name…"

"You keep grumbling and I'll pair you with Yuffie," Skylar hissed. "Now, Mushu, Cri-Kee. Breath a word of this…" she drew a finger across her neck and stuck her tongue out. "It's bad enough that I have to appear in the fic myself, let alone Mr Chocobo here."

In a flash of light, the man and teen vanished, leaving behind a very scared dragon and cricket.

* * *

**Aiaiai, the trouble Nightwing and I have gone through to protect that fourth wall and along comes Mushu trying to break it. Not to mention Deadpool's been hanging around recently. Anyone know where I can catch three Crumple Horned Snorcacks? That was Luna's price for helping us.**

**So, fourth wall aside, this was my longest chapter yet. We got to see some more about Maleficent's past. So she was once a Fae and now she's cheated death for so long, the Gods have to send their messenger angel.**

**Sora got some (albeit small) screen time, and that's shed some light on somebody's past. Xion also got a little bit as well. And my OC Aislinn camoed as the waitress!**

**Weeelll, anyway, review/follow/fave and I'll give you cookies!**


	7. Ch6-Sir, I didn't ask for near death

**So today's Thursday... I THOUGHT I SAID FRIDAY OR SATURDAY?! Well, got it done early, thought I'd upload early. THIS WILL (hopefully) BE THE LAST IRREGULAR UPDATE! We're going back to Wednesdays only. This week was half-term so extra updates.**

**Follow cookies: _animalperson45 _and _N00bcakeinc_!**

**Fave cookies: _N00bcakeinc _and _SerenadePanda_!**

**Review cookies: _Nightwing2593, SpiritDreamWarriors, KittyKat1217, rokunamiluva, StarAF938 _and _Eggymin_!**

**For the first time since the story began... GUEST REVIEW RESPONSES: _rokunamiluva - _Aww, thank you! Don't worry. My fic isn't that good. There's plenty of better ones out there. You could outclass me easily!**

**RANDOM TRIVIA OF THE DAY: This fic started with my stepsister's love of Tangled forcing me to watch it over and over. I began to think 'Naminé would make a good Rapunzel' and then I decided 'stuff my other plans. I'm doing a KH version of Tangled.'**

**Well then... READ!**

* * *

**Chapter six - Sir, I didn't ask for near death**

The group had been walking for hours now without stopping. At the very least, they had a head-start on the guards. Xion was right. If they kept walking until night, they should remain uncaught. A larger group would have to stop at one point and Cloud had hazarded a guess that they wouldn't have much food with them, meaning that they would _have_ to stop and rest at some point.

"Sooo…." Mushu said when the silence got too long. "Anyone know where I can find a good bodyguard?"

"Why would you need a bodyguard?" Naminé asked.

"Actually on second thoughts, never mind. Bodyguard? Why would I need a bodyguard? There's no body threatening my life or anything," Mushu said quickly, laughing nervously at the end.

Cloud and Naminé shrugged this off as Mushu trying (and failing) to start a conversation. Cri-Kee however, punched Mushu in the side, giving him a 'shut up you idiot' look. The group continued walking through the tunnel, hoping they'd soon reach the above ground part. It wasn't like they had watches on or anything to tell the time with. The group was getting hungry now. Mushu kept shooting longing looks towards the backpack Cloud was carrying. Said thief was getting annoyed. Both with Mushu and the silence. He decided to break it.

"Hey Naminé, I'm trying to piece this together. Overprotective mother, not allowed to leave, forbidden road trip. Is that it so far?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's about everything," Naminé sighed.

"So why haven't you left before?" Cloud pushed further. "You could have gone at any time. But you chose to stay. Why?"

"It's complicated," Naminé laughed. "And you've never met my mother. She's nice most of the time, but if you got her angry, well…. It's not so nice. And talking about leaving or the kites always got her angry."

"Oh. Right. So why did she keep you locked up? Was it the hair? And don't give me that superstition line that you fed to Xion. That fooled nobody," Cloud laughed.

"You ask a lot of questions," Naminé huffed, folding her arms. "Yes it's the hair, but I'm not telling you why. Instead, it's my turn to ask some questions. Why are you a thief? What's the story behind that?"

"Do think I'll just tell some girl who I barely know and am only travelling with because of bribery? And like you said, it's complicated," Cloud retorted.

The two shared a light laugh. At least there wasn't a strained silence anymore, even if they hadn't gotten the answers they wanted. To Naminé, Cloud seemed like a nice guy but the whole wanted-thief thing just didn't fit him. To Cloud, Naminé was a curious young girl with a mysterious past. Maybe when they got to the city they'd tell each other more about themselves. But in the meantime, they were content with only letting the other know the basic details. Slowly, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel (pun intended, again).

"Light! We'll have reached the end of the underground part!" Naminé cried out.

They began to run towards the end of the tunnel, crying out in joy as the breeze hit their faces. Outside, they stood on a relatively large cliff, bathed in the light of sunset. It was as if someone had carved a circle into the rocks as well as some uneven cliffs around the edge. The four searched around for the rest of the path. Cloud quickly spotted a narrow opening on the other side of the circle, where a path was clearly leading from it. He pointed at it but before he could explain, an echoing sound from the tunnel behind caught his attention.

The guards hadn't rested at any point. They'd ran. And now they'd caught up.

"Naminé, the guards are here," he said through gritted teeth.

"What are we gonna do?" Naminé asked, worry shining on her face.

Cloud paused for a second, then handed her one of his knives. "We're going to fight back and try and reach the passage on the other side."

"How do I use this?" Naminé motioned with the knife.

"Just slash and parry. Guards are nine times out of ten sexist. They don't think a girl can fight so they'll underestimate you. Use this to your advantage. If you have to, throw in some punches because trust me, you throw a mean punch. But also use your hair as a weapon and a means to get to the path. Mushu, think you can sneak between them, distract them?"

"You betcha spikey!" Mushu exclaimed.

Naminé gripped tightly onto her knife with one hand, mirroring Cloud's grip on his. With the other, she grabbed onto to part of her hair, ready to start swinging it around. The noises grew closer and guards burst from the tunnel. But they weren't the only ones. Cloud's former comrades, Xigbar and Saïx, emerged as well. The leader of the guards quickly ordered for half his men to attack the two Organization members while the rest advanced towards Cloud and Naminé.

"Let's go kick some honey buns!" Mushu yelled, sneaking past into the guards' group.

Cloud ran forward and began slashing away at various guards. Naminé quickly took note of how he used the knife and began to launch an offensive against the guards hanging back on the side. Like Cloud had predicted, none of them were expecting much from a girl, a fact that Naminé exploited. She quickly turned their own half-hearted movements against them and began to knock the weapons out of their hands and the daylights out of their heads (no, she didn't kill them). Mushu hopped from guard to guard, biting them (while swearing that he would 'never bite a man's backside again') and then making them hit themselves. Deciding it was time to start pulling them across, Naminé pulled back and quickly handed Cloud her knife. The thief quickly got into a dual wielding stance. Meanwhile, Naminé swung her hair around a rock that was jutting outwards, and swung across. She didn't land on the opposite cliff though. Instead she landed in the centre of the circle.

Cloud quickly knocked out his last opponent. He tried to ignore the familiar spikey brown hair and refused to even look at the guard's face. He yelled out to Naminé for her to throw her hair up so that he could join her. Of course, before she could, something unexpected happened. A horse jumped out at him. Between its teeth was the sword of one of the guards he had already defeated. It quickly slashed at Cloud, who blocked with his knives.

"How much weirder," he panted. "WILL THIS JOURNEY GET!?"

The horse continued its offensive while Cloud vaguely recognised it as the one he'd tried to escape on two days ago. The thief decided against trying to actively harm the animal, instead he settled for trying to knock it away so that Naminé could pull him away. But the horse was slowly wearing him out. But suddenly, it stopped and winced, giving Cloud enough time to knock the sword out of its mouth.

"Uggh," Mushu shivered, jumping onto Cloud's arm. "Nasty!"

Naminé saw that Cloud was no longer fighting and flung her hair up to him. He quickly wrapped it around his waist and jumped. Xigbar, having taken out his guards and gotten his hands on two crossbows, shot an arrow at Cloud. Normally, the marksman would have hit, but Naminé pulled her hair so that Cloud would swing from side to side, meaning the arrow missed narrowly. Cloud touched down onto the ground. He and Naminé began to run, searching for a way to get them up to the path. Another arrow flew towards them. This time it hit Cloud in the side of his ribs, causing him to drop to his knees as blood spilled out. Naminé stopped running and knelt down next to him, trying to get the thief to stand up.

Xigbar had other plans for them. He spotted a fairly large stream that had been blocked up by some rocks. The man shot the rocks, letting the river flow downwards, carrying Naminé and Cloud into a small cave. He then shot at another group of rocks. They fell down, sufficiently blocking the cave entrance enough to stop the teens from escaping but still let water in.

"If that kid's anything like a tiger with nine lives," Xigbar laughed. "He'll get out. Otherwise, any bets as to how long it will take before they drown?"

Saïx merely let a small smirk grace his face.

* * *

Cloud and Naminé braced themselves as they hit the rocky wall. Water kept pushing against them and there was very little light. Slowly, the water levels rose. It became clear what was going to happen. Tears spilled from Naminé's eyes. She didn't want to die. Cloud noticed the tears running down her face. He'd promised to take her to the kites and then get her back home again safely. Naminé wasn't the only one who kept her promises. So he dived under the water, trying to see if there was any rock they could shift so that they could escape. It was pitch black. Cloud rose up again, trying his best to tread water while the injury in his side complained.

"No use," he panted. "Pitch black."

Naminé dove down as if to see if he was telling the truth. Cloud quickly pulled her back up.

"Don't be crazy, doll!" Mushu reprimanded. Cloud shot him a questioning look. "And before you ask, I can breathe fire but ain't got stay lit up down here if I try."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry Cloud," Naminé whimpered. "W-we're gonna… gonna d-die. It's my fault!"

"No it isn't Naminé!" Cloud exclaimed, wincing again as pain shot through his side.

"B-but… I made you take me! And Mother will never see me again. Your friend Xion will never hear from you again!" Naminé argued. "I'm sorry Cloud!"

He sighed. Someone ought to know.

"Roxas," he said simply. Naminé gave him a puzzled look. "My real name is Roxas. Cloud was my older brother. I guess, if I'm going to die, somebody ought to know."

"Well… I have magical hair that glows when I sing. Somebody ought to know," Naminé laughed weakly.

"What?" Roxas yelled.

"I have…." realisation dawned on Naminé's face. "Magical hair that glows when I sing! _Flower of sunrise gold, secret of life and wonder. Oh power of the untold, save me from the yonder. Light of days gone past….._"

Naminé's hair began to glow as water rose above their heads. Roxas used the golden light to look for weak spots in the rock. He found one and swan towards it. He pulled at the rocks as the light behind them faded. This had to lead outside. It had to! He reached out with his hand. It pushed out into cool air. The rocks collapsed, letting the water flow into a large pool while it carried Naminé and Roxas with it. The two plus companions swam out to the side of the pond.

"We're alive!" Naminé exclaimed looking up to the stars. "Alive!"

"Her hair glows. HER HAIR GLOWS! How long has it been able to do that?" Roxas asked Mushu, freaking out slightly. "Hair shouldn't be able to do that! Why did it do that?"

"Roxas!" Naminé called out, having already climbed out the pool.

"What?!" Roxas shouted back, still freaking out a little.

"It doesn't just glow."

* * *

Roughly an hour later, they'd eaten a little bit of food and gotten a fire started. But Roxas' attempts to hide his pain were futile, so Naminé had decided to do something about it. She carefully wrapped her hair around his injury, careful not to aggravate it.

"Why are you wrapping your hair around me?" Roxas asked.

"You'll see, so long as you don't freak out," Naminé smiled. And she began to sing.

_"Flower of sunrise gold,  
Secret of life and wonder.  
Oh power of the untold,  
Save me from the yonder._

_Light of days gone past,  
Return what I lack.  
Allow my blood to last,  
Return what I yearn for back._

_What I yearn for back."_

Slowly, Naminé unwrapped her no longer glowing hair from around Roxas. The boy stared at where his injury once was. It was no longer bleeding and the pain had all gone. A small touch confirmed that the skin had healed over. The only sign that he'd been injured was the dried blood on his clothes. His eyes widened and it looked as if he was going to freak out again.

"Don't freak out!" Naminé said quickly.

"I'm not gonna freak out, just wondering about the whole hair thing and how long has it done that?" Roxas asked quickly.

"Oh," Naminé laughed shyly. "Since I was a baby I guess. Mother said that when I was little, people tried to cut it and use its power, so she had to hide me away. The power to heal the sick, return the old to youth. A gift like that has to be protected."

"So you never left the tower," Roxas whispered, letting it all click together in his mind.

"Yeah," Naminé sighed. She pulled her bangs to the side, showing a lock of paler hair that was shorter than the rest. "The thing is, once it's cut, it loses its powers and fades to this colour. And so I never left. But… today was amazing, even if we nearly died and meeting Xion and everyone yesterday was great too!"

"Are you still going back?" Roxas asked. "After all that, will you?"

"Yes? No? Maybe? I don't know. I'm not sure," Naminé whispered. She quickly brightened up. "What about you? What's your story Roxas? Why the name change?"

"Oh no, you don't want to hear that sad story," Roxas shook his head. He softened when he saw the pleading look in Naminé's face. "_Fine_. I never really knew my parents. They died when I was little. Instead, my older brother Cloud raised me and my brothers, with some help from our Aunt Aerith. I had a twin, Ventus, and a little brother called Sora, who's two and a half years younger than me. We were a team. It was Cloud who taught me to fight. Everything was fine until I was ten years old."

"What happened then?"

"A man came. Sephiroth," Roxas spat the name out, as if it tasted foul when he said it. "He killed Aunt Aerith. Cloud was seventeen at the time. He fought with Sephiroth. But he was killed. Right in front of me, Ventus and Sora. Sephiroth even asked for Cloud's name the moment before he died."

"That's terrible!" Naminé gasped.

"It's more than that. It was _despicable_. So Ventus and I had to look after Sora. But a year later, Ventus fell ill. He held on for a few months but in the end, he died. It was just me and Sora left. We hid ourselves away from adults. I taught myself how to steal so that I could feed us both. But when I was thirteen, I got caught and they took Sora away. At night, when I don't see Sephiroth kill Cloud, or Ventus breathe his last painful breath, I see them dragging the only family I had left away from me, the tears still in his eyes," Roxas looked as if there were tears in _his_ eyes. "I promised myself I'd find Sora. But in order to support myself, I still had to steal. As I traveled around, I promised to also find Sephiroth and kill him. I started to use Cloud's name, so that if I ever ran into Sephiroth, he'd know that one of Cloud's brothers had killed him. I got known as the best pickpocket in the kingdom, which is why the Orgs showed interest in me. Still regret my choices though."

The camp fell silent.

"…. Sorry," Naminé whispered after the story had sunk in.

"Don't be. None of it was your fault. And the mess I'm in now was because of my own choices, not yours or anybody else's…. Except for maybe Sephiroth and the people who dragged Sora away," Roxas said, sending a weak smile towards Naminé. "I'm gonna get some more firewood, okay?"

Naminé nodded then watched as he left. She thought about his story.

"Well that was one very heavy backstory."

Naminé turned at the voice and was met with a surprising and unwelcome sight.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! Unless of course you've guessed who the voice belongs to. Next update will be Wednesday though guys.**

**So Cloud is actually called Roxas. And he's got a heavier hitting backstory than Ugeine/Flynn did... I'm sorry if anyone was distressed by that story. It was really depressing to write.**

**I'm stretching the K+ limits a little here but I kinda don't want to up it to T, because of the fact that Tangled would probably be a K+.**

**I've started a new feature on my profile page. Scroll to the bottom of my bio, and you should see some information about each of my fics. For this fic, I'm previewing the name of the next chapter, so that you guys can guess all you want!**

**Someone said this was funnier then Tangled. Now it's more depressing... so cookies for reviews/follow/faves. AND THE BROWNIE IS STILL UP FOR GRABS!**


	8. Ch7-It's a free country

**TUESDAY?! But... never mind. I had time so I got this done early. Hence, early update guys and gals.**

**Review cookies: _N00bcakeinc, SpiritDreamWarriors, EggyMin, StarAF93 _and _Nightwing2593!_**

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**Well, on with the chapter!**

**ALSO! NEWSFLASH! I've put up a poll so that when I'm done with this fic, I'll know what to do next! I'm really enjoying writing this and want to make a little series of KHed Disney films. I'll call it... KHDisneytales! So vote for what you wanna see next!**

* * *

**Chapter seven – It's a free country**

Earlier that day, Maleficent watched in one part horror and one part fascination as _Roxas_ and Naminé escaped. She was glad that Naminé had survived. Not so happy about Roxas living or him now knowing about her hair. That could be problematic. This boy could take Naminé away from her. No Naminé, no eternal life. And if Maleficent died…. Etro would make her afterlife a true hell. So she might just need a little more help.

"Come on Saïx! The kid's dead, same with that weird chick he was hanging out with! Yeah, we don't have the crown but neither do the kingdom, so all's well and good!" the man known as Xigbar shouted.

"Yes, but as you said, _we_ don't have the crown," Saïx argued. "That is a failure on our part and the Superior doesn't look kindly on failures."

Maleficent gripped the satchel in her hands. Perhaps she could use this for her benefit.

"Well, I'm sure if you explain your plight, your Superior won't be _too_ harsh," Maleficent said, emerging from her hiding places amongst the bushes.

"Who are you?" Xigbar asked, loading an arrow.

"Oh, just a passer-by who overheard and would be absolutely willing to help," the woman smiled.

"I'm not buying it," Xigbar replied flatly.

Maleficent's smile turned evil. She chucked the satchel down at their feet, allowing the crown to fall out. The two men eagerly grabbed at it, marvelling in their luck.

"If that's all you desire, then I'll be on my way. I would have offered something…. worth more than the crown instead but… you seem happy enough," Maleficent turned and waved as she spoke.

"Wait!"

"Yes?" Maleficent turned to the men again.

"What would you have offered us and how would it benefit the Organization?" Saïx asked.

"Well, there is a girl," Maleficent began. "I've seen her use magic imbued in her hair to heal to sick and return a person to youth. You could use this magic to live forever. And you know what? The best part of the plan is the fact that it comes with revenge on Cloud Strife, who only lived because of this power."

Xigbar and Saïx shared a look.

"What do we need to do?"

* * *

That was why Maleficent was now standing by the camp in front of Naminé. It had taken a while for that pesky boy to leave. That bug and dragon were still there though. Maleficent internally face-palmed at the fact that she had been oblivious to their existence until she used that magic to observe the memories of the tower. Was there anything else Naminé had hid from her. Maleficent mentally shook these thoughts away. She had a job to do.

"Mother? What are you doing here? You should be…"

"Away getting those shells? That little ruse didn't last my dear. I worried about you and decided to return home. What did I see? The tower was empty," Maleficent interrupted sharply.

"I'm sorry," Naminé hung her head in shame.

"Hmm," Maleficent fixed a stern glare on her face.

"It's just," Naminé lifted her head. "I've had so much fun! And I've learnt so much! I've met so many amazing people and Roxas…"

"Yes, the wanted thief who's still living in the past," Maleficent sneered. "Naminé, this has gone on for long enough. We're going home. It's a miracle nobody has attacked you. This needs to end. _Now_."

Maleficent grabbed Naminé's arm and tugged, making the girl stumble. Naminé was stunned. She couldn't go back now. So just like when she left the tower, she took a leap of faith.

"No."

One simple word. Even simpler than the word mother. In that one word, Naminé decided that she'd had enough. Enough of being stashed away in a tower. Enough of having to observe the world and never be a part of it. She was going to end it. No more living through dreams and lights in the sky. Naminé was going to get out there and live her life.

"I won't go back! I can't! I have to live. No more being kept in a tower!" Naminé yelled, pulling her hand sharply from Maleficent.

She'd jumped.

"Won't? WON'T?!" Maleficent roared.

Naminé had never seen her so terrifying. The older woman towered over her, taking slow, threatening steps in her direction while giving off a powerful yet dark aura. The girl held her ground however. This journey had given her more self-confidence in herself. She wouldn't back away.

"No Mother," she said simply.

"Fine," Maleficent said flippantly, backing away and shrinking the aura. "If you know better than I do, despite the fact I'm your _mother_, then go on. If you know that thief you're with so well, your quote-unquote 'guide', test him. And if he fails, I told you so."

The older woman threw something toward the stunned Naminé before disappearing into the dark trees. Naminé bent down and picked it up. She promptly dropped it again. It was the satchel. And the crown. Maleficent had found it in its hiding place. Naminé trembled a little. There had always been something off about the way Maleficent always _knew_ things that she should have had no idea about. It unsettled her. The girl carefully picked the satchel up again. She tied it around her leg so that it was hidden by her dress. As she did this, she was vaguely aware of Mushu and Cri-Kee trying to talk to her. Naminé sat down and felt like crying.

"Hey, Naminé? Everything okay?" Roxas asked, walking back into the camp with a large pile of firewood in his arms.

"Huh? Me? Oh! Everything's fine! I was just thinking about things," Naminé said brightly, rapidly blinking away the tears that had threatened to fall.

"Was it about my story? Because don't worry about it. My life wasn't happy but you shouldn't dwell on it. I'm still here right? I managed to pull through," Roxas smiled.

The smile calmed Naminé down and she giggled lightly before helping Roxas with the fire. Mushu and Cri-Kee hung back a little. So Naminé was scared. The two knew her better than anyone else. They could tell that she trusted Roxas, but her inexperience with matters like this was preventing her from telling him about her talk with Maleficent or the crown. They shrugged it off. She'd talk to him after the lights. As they ate a good meal to make up for the ones they'd missed earlier, Naminé began to relax a little more. Shortly, they all fell asleep.

Maleficent watched the sight. She quickly threw up her arms to stop her companions from rushing in.

"Not just yet boys. Wouldn't you prefer it if he was broken and distressed? Humiliated as they kingdom kills him?" she asked.

"Well yeah, but what about the chick?" Xigbar asked.

"You know what they say," Maleficent smiled evilly. "All good things come to those who wait."

* * *

_The next morning_

Kairi released the arrow from her bow, listening as it connected with the centre of the target with a satisfying _thunk_. She loved archery and it calmed her down if she was feeling upset. Like most things, she wondered if Naminé would enjoy it too. She wouldn't know. But she'd risen early that morning with the intention to get in a few good shots before breakfast. It was bliss. Just her and the bow.

"That was a good shot, Kairi," a voice said from behind.

The fifteen year old turned to see Leon standing behind her. Kairi smiled at her 'uncle' as she'd affectionately called him when she was younger. When it was unofficial, Leon would always call her Kairi and he often insisted that she called him Leon instead of Commander Leonhart.

"Thanks Leon," she smiled, putting her bow down. Leon walked over to her.

"But it was lucky. You were too tense and that could have knocked the shot off," Leon said bluntly. "Kairi, I know how you shoot. I taught you. You are never normally this tense. What's wrong?"

"How did you know something was up?" Kairi asked.

"Did you honestly think you could keep something from your 'Uncle Leon'?" he laughed, receiving a punch in the arm from his pseudo-niece. "But please Kairi. What's wrong with you?"

"Everything," Kairi sighed, sitting down in a very ungraceful manner on a nearby bench. "I'm fed up with Hans and his marriage proposals. I'm upset about the crown, I miss Naminé even though I shouldn't and to top it all off, my best friend is off on duty."

Kairi began to mess with her hair while Leon processed the information.

"I can't help you with the first problem. As for the second, we're unsure what's happened. I think you should be missing Naminé. As for your little crush, he's coming back in a few days," Leon said.

"_Leon_! I don't have a crush on him! Sora and I are just friends!" Kairi argued, going bright red.

"Kairi, it's no great secret amongst the guards that you and Sora like each other. He gets teased quite a lot about it. I heard there's even a betting pool on who will ask the other out first," the commander laughed.

"Well _Squall_," Kairi said, her voice teasing. "What about that betting pool on you and…-!"

"Kairi, don't," Leon reprimanded, removing his hand from Kairi's mouth. "And please don't call me Squall either. I'm Leon now."

"But why?" Kairi asked, deciding to risk it. "Why did you change your name? And why do you act so emo around all the others except for me? You're a mystery Leon!"

"Maybe I am," Leon replied, looking older than before. "I changed my name because Squall was the man who failed on his promises. I couldn't b him anymore. As for the emo thing, I don't get some of the others sometimes. So I just distanced myself and put up walls. But uncles aren't allowed to act emo around their nieces."

"Haha," Kairi laughed dryly.

"Haha to you too. Come on. I know you haven't eaten yet. You ought to," Leon laughed.

Kairi followed him into the palace, basking in the sunlight that streamed through the windows. '_Good morning world. Good morning Naminé.'_

* * *

Sora woke up, the sun in his eyes. His horse, Khan, was missing again after running off suddenly. Maybe he'd smelt Roxas. The teen sat up, running the sore patch on the back of his head. Roxas had hit him hard the day before. It was Roxas. He must have been using Cloud's name for some reason or the other. Maybe he was looking for Sephiroth and had been using the Organization as a way to try and find him? It would explain the name change. He, Roxas and Ventus had promised that if they ever found the man, they'd kill him and make sure he knew who'd done it. But of course, Ventus had died. And they'd dragged Sora away from Roxas, the only family he had left. The boy hadn't forgotten the promise, which is why he had strove to become a guard so it would be easier to find Sephiroth. He remembered when he'd pleaded his case to Commander Leonhart, who nearly refused him the training he needed based on his young age.

_'Fine kid. I'll let you train and serve as a guard. There's a fire in your eyes. I admire that fire. Use it properly and you can become unstoppable._

Unstoppable, huh? Maybe he could stop Roxas from throwing his life even further away.

* * *

Roxas woke up when something warm hit his face. He turned and opened his eyes.

"Good morning," he said groggily to the glaring horse in front of him.

Delayed reaction time 1.7 seconds.

"OH MY GODS! WHAT THE _*censored*_?!"

* * *

**And there it is. Slightly shorter but after last chapter, it's nice to have a slight break. Kairi got some time as did Sora.**

**So Maleficent is a _*censored* _but we all knew that.**

**There may/may not be an on time/early update next week. I'll try and get it out but it may end up being a little late. Why? BECAUSE IT'S MY B'DAY NEXT WEDNESDAY!**

**So I expect reviews and lots of 'em! I'll still give yas all some cookies! And does anybody want those brownies?**


	9. Ch8-Down Bessy

**Hey guys, sorry it's a day late but I was bust yesterday.**

**HERE IS YOUR FRIENDLY REMINDER TO VOTE IN THE POLL!**

**No new faves or follows...**

**Review cookies: _SpiritDreamWarriors, EggyMin, Nightwing2593_ and _StarAF938_!**

* * *

**Chapter eight – Down Bessy**

When Roxas had agreed to take Naminé to the kingdom, he hadn't planned on nearly dying. He also hadn't planned on sharing his whole life story with her either. And he certainly hadn't planned on being woken up by a semi-psychotic horse with a grudge against him. The first thing he did was leap up and drawn his knives. Naminé leapt up from her sleep as well, awakened by his sudden swearing.

"What is it you want with me?!" Roxas yelled, swiping at the horse.

It neighed loudly and lifted its legs up, trying to hit Roxas. The thief leapt away, rolling onto the ground. Angry hooves narrowly missed his body. He tried to get up, only to be met with a sharp pain in his leg. He must have twisted it awkwardly as he rolled away. The horse prepared to strike again. Roxas raised his knives in defence and closed his eyes, ready for a blow. It didn't come. Roxas opened his eyes to see Naminé in-between him and the horse, arms out wide.

"Hey! Easy! Easy," Naminé said soothingly, trying to calm him down.

"Down Bessy," Mushu said from his position on Naminé's head.

It didn't help. The horse lunged towards the dragon. He was stopped again by Naminé

"Hey! Hey! Calm down now, okay? He's just stupid. Don't worry….." she looked for a name engraved onto his saddle. "Khan. It's alright. I'm Naminé. It's nice to meet you!"

Khan stared at the smiling girl in front of him and calmed down. There was something soothing about her. He lowered down a little and let her approach, but still keeping an eye on Roxas and Mushu. Naminé slowly walked over to him, a little afraid because she had no idea how to act around horses. Khan kept still and she decided 'stuff safety, I'm giving him a hug'. Khan relaxed into the hug.

"You're all tired out, huh?" Naminé asked. "Barely anyone appreciates you, do they? You've been forced into chasing Roxas around right?"

Khan nodded along to all her questions.

"Don't side with him!" Roxas yelled indignantly.

"Shh! Why don't you come with us and have some fun?" Naminé asked, pulling away slightly.

Roxas let out a 'WHAT?!' and Khan's jaw dropped.

"Please listen!" Naminé said. "It's my birthday in two days, and I really want to see the kites that always send up on that day! I've spent my entire life living in a tower and being forced to watch the world. Now I can finally go out there and experience everything for myself! I _need_ Roxas. He's my guide. He's not with the Organization anymore. You don't have to worry. He doesn't have that crown thing everyone's worried about, but neither does the Organization. Maybe he could give you information about them in exchange for you not giving us away to the guards? Please come with us Khan! You'd have fun!"

Khan and Roxas stared at the girl. Talk about hopeless optimism and determination. Although, she was quite convincing. Roxas realised that the hor- Khan, was possibly only chasing him because of orders… and the whole crown-thingy. Maybe they might be able to get past their differences, if Khan could stop glaring at him for at least a second. Khan was processing what Naminé had told him about her birthday. He remembered his rider, Sora, telling him about the lost princess of the same name and why they let the kites into the sky on her birthday. This girl having the same name and birthday couldn't be a coincidence. And he noted that she called the thief Roxas instead of Cloud. It fit in with Sora's stories about his older brothers. So he'd go with them in hope that they were who he they were and so he could try and lead them back to their families. Also Naminé's story about living in a tower were heart-breaking. Plus those puppy dog eyes…

He softened the glare and held out a hoof for Roxas to shake. The thief took it.

"See! I knew you could see past your differences! Now Mushu, you apologise to Khan for calling him Bessy," Naminé ordered.

"No way, I had every right to…" Mushu quivered under Cri-Kee and Naminé's combined glare. He felt another one at his back as well and a haunting voice telling him that he'd better do it. "Fine. Sorry."

Naminé smiled, glad that everyone could become friends. She went over to check the map Xion had given them. The night before they were able to work out where they were roughly. Roxas went over with her so that he could help plan the route they were going to take. Khan hung back to talk with Mushu and Cri-Kee

_All dialogue in this next scene had been translated. I apologise for any mistranslations. You can blame it on Luna's Snorcacks. They ate my dictionary._

"Well, well, Bessy. Rule number one! I'm in charge! Rule number two! The -!" Mushu was head-butted off the log he was sitting on.

"I don't follow your orders," Khan said indignantly.

"Heads up, Mushu's like that all the time. I'm Cri-Kee by the way," the cricket introduced himself. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Khan replied as Mushu got back onto the log.

"Oh haha," Mushu laughed sarcastically. "Well maybe I won't warn you about the psychopathic teenager out for our blood."

"What psychopathic teenager?" Khan asked.

"Shut up Mushu! She'll come for us!" Cri-Kee warned. "But if you have to know, if you ever see a teenage girl with brown hair, purple eyes and cat ears, run for your life."

Awkward silence.

"Right… I'll keep that in mind," Khan frowned. "I actually have a question. About that girl, Naminé."

"Ask away," Cri-Kee said quickly before Mushu could say no. The dragon sulked off.

"Are you aware of the story of the lost princess of Radiant Garden?" the horse asked.

"Can't say I am. Why?"

"Her name is Naminé. And she shares the same birthday as your Naminé. She was kidnapped as a baby and every year, they launch the glowing kites to remember her. And the kites are obviously launched on her birthday."

"Do you think… they're the same person? And our Naminé is the princess?"

"I think so, but I don't know how I can tell her," Khan sighed. "Actually, I also have a question about Clou…. Roxas. Do you know if he has a younger brother called Sora?"

"Yes! He told us about it all last night! And they were torn apart when they were younger!" Cri-Kee exclaimed. "How did you know?"

"Sora is my rider. He told me all about his older others," Khan replied.

"Khan! Cri-Kee! We're setting off!" Naminé called out.

_Translations end here. I think I did pretty well._

Roxas and Naminé led the group on the path towards the main city. They should be arriving late the next day. There, they'd go to Tifa Lockhart's inn, 7th Heaven and explain that Xion had told them to stay there. They'd spend a day around the city, trying to avoid guards and then watch the kites at night. As for what they'd do afterwards, it was still undecided. Naminé was unsure whether she wanted to go back to the tower or not. At the moment, she was leaning towards no. As they walked, a sudden rustling caught Roxas' attention. He drew his knives and signalled for the others to keep still.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"Travellers," a voice called back. "And you?"

"The same," Roxas replied.

He didn't lower his knives as the rustling increased. A man appeared from behind the trees. He wore a yellow tunic, blue slacks and had unusual silver hair and aquamarine eyes. He held out a sword but slowly lowered it. Roxas eyed him warily until he tugged on a grey piece of cloth tied around his left wrist. The thief visibly relaxed and showed him the one that was on his wrist, the one he'd started to wear since departing from Xion's place. Roxas lowered his weapons.

"You Cloud Strife?" the man asked.

"I was. Going by my real name now. Roxas," he said, offering his hand.

"Riku," the man replied, taking it. "I'm guessing this is Naminé?"

"Oh! Yes! That's me!" Naminé exclaimed quickly.

"Friend of Xion?" Roxas asked.

"Friends. My companions are still in the nearby clearing. Xion sent us," Riku replied.

"Sent you?" Roxas raised an eyebrow.

"Long story," Riku laughed. "I'll explain at the clearing. You can join us for breakfast."

Everybody else's stomachs grumbled as they heard the word breakfast. They'd forgotten to eat earlier.

* * *

"Everybody! This is Roxas, formerly Cloud, Naminé, Khan, Mushu and Cri-Kee!" Riku called out. "Ayané! Get them some breakfast. They haven't had any."

"Sure thing!" one of the group called out.

Riku introduced everyone to Roxas and Naminé's group. There were five others in total. There was Ayané, the girl with dark brown hair and pale blue eyes in the lilac dress, making everybody some breakfast. The oldest of the group was a middle-aged blonde called Cid. The red head in black and orange was Reno. Next to him was the tall, bald, dark-skinned Rude. Finally there was Garnet, a young woman with dark hair and brown eyes. Everyone made the others welcome and helped Naminé sort move her hair so that it didn't get in the way. The girl noted that they all had grey cloth tied around their wrists. She asked Garnet about it.

"They're symbols. It's how neutrals can tell who we are. The best part is that the Orgs and guards have no idea about what they mean," the woman explained kindly.

"Here! Xion said to give you this," Ayané called out, chucking a grey cloth towards Naminé, a sign that the neutrals had accepted her as one of their own. The blonde tied it around her wrist and admired it.

"Riku said that Xion sent you," Roxas said as he ate the porridge Ayané had given him. "Care to explain?"

"The guards, yo!" Reno yelled out from across the clearing. "They asked weird questions, trying to suss out everyone's connection to you, yo. Xion decided it weren't safe anymore. Decided to get us to Tifa's place, yo! We got sent ahead, to try and find you there and warn you all 'bout it,'s well as Tifa!"

"What happened to Fuujinn?" Roxas asked.

"Xion cut hers, Raijinn's and Seifer's cloths herself. Nobody interfered, despite the fact most of them were guilty as well. They were going to sell out other neutrals. They were forced to leave," Rude explained.

"Those freakin' traitors," Cid spat. "Shoulda kept their dang mouths shut."

Roxas nodded as Naminé listened. She was intrigued about this group that she was now a part of. They obeyed the laws of the kingdom but had their own unique set of rules that set them apart. The first and most important rule was not sell each other out. Naminé felt an odd sense of safety with that thought. Maybe, just maybe, these people could one day know the secret of her hair. Of course, it would take a while yet but if rule one was don't betray each other…. She might have found somewhere to belong.

"So, joining up then?" Riku asked Roxas, acting as the leader of his group.

"May as well. Extra supplies and a larger group travelling to see the lights is less likely to attract attention. It happens every year, large groups going to see the kites," the thief replied.

* * *

Naminé curled up in her sleep. They'd travelled the entire day and were hoping to reach the main city the next day. Riku's group would visit various neutral homes to pass on various pieces of news while Roxas' group would be staying at 7th Heaven. Naminé had enjoyed the day and learning about the other group. Talking to Garnet and Ayané was fun because they understood girl problems and everything, and she was able to talk about certain _things_ that Maleficent had never discussed with her. Reno and Cid kept clashing with each other, but in a comical way akin to Mushu and Cri-Kee. Rude was very gentlemanly in contrast to his name. Riku was the leader of the group, despite only being a year older than her. He had taken her aside during lunch and taught her a little bit more swordplay. He discovered early on that she wouldn't be able to handle a proper sword so instead he showed her some techniques with knives similar to Roxas', just not dual wielding.

Riku and Ayané watched as the others slept, taking the first watch.

"Well Ayané? Do you think Xion was right?" the silver haired man asked.

"Who knows? Same birthday, same name. Heck, her hair's as gold as they said the lost princess' was," Ayané replied.

"That could be a coincidence," Riku mused.

"If you think that, you're just as stupid as Seifer's gang," Ayané replied, getting a mock glare in return. "Seriously Riku, all of that being a coincidence? Not likely."

"I'm surprised Cl… Roxas hasn't figured it," Riku said.

"Or maybe he does and hasn't said anything," Ayané suggested.

The two remained silent, wordlessly agreeing not to say anything to the others.

* * *

The messenger girl perched upon some trees.

"HOW CAN HUMANS BE THAT DENSE?!" she yelled, somehow not disturbing anything. "Seriously, why can't they have guessed it by now? At least we might just have a good show….. right guys?"

She turned, looking at the readers.

"If you mess up the fourth wall…." A threatening voice whispered. The messenger gulped before turning back to look at the sleepers, wondering how events would play out.

Sometimes it paid to be the messenger girl who got to watch everything.

* * *

**I tried to put some Sora and Kairi in, I really did. It just wouldn't fit. Hopefully there'll be some next chapter!**

**So... review/follow/fave for cookies and remember to vote in the poll!**


	10. Ch9-Last Legs

**GWAHH! Sorry this is a week late! However there is an explanation.**

**This chapter wasn't ready in time because it was giving me some problems. I got some extra time to write on Friday, but I'd had a really bad day. My mood was all over the place (I emotionally snapped that day) and I couldn't write. I decided I'd just finish the chapter for today and miss an update.**

**Guest review: Thank you for being polite! I can understand why you'd think that but unfortunately, when a chapter is updated, it's after so much editing and checking that I refuse to take one down after. However, there won't be any more fourth wall hijinks for the moment. We've pretty much secured it. I'm glad you like the story! Here, have some cookies.**

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**Well have fun! (Still not 100% happy with it, but it will do)**

* * *

**Chapter nine – Last legs**

Roxas woke up and stretched. He yawned out a good morning to Reno and Rude, who were finishing off their shift. The two nodded back in reply. Roxas quickly checked his surroundings. The first thing he made sure to do was check if Naminé was safe. That was is number one priority. That girl was his friend. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, or anyone else he cared about. He'd already let Sora down. Behind him, Garnet and Ayané were starting to stir. Cid was still snoring his head off. And…

"Good morning," a voice said behind him, making Roxas jump.

"Riku, don't do that again," he growled.

"No promises," Riku replied. "Naminé still asleep?"

"Yeah, she's not used to early mornings yet," Roxas replied.

Riku moved from the tree he was leaning on and sat down next to Roxas. The two sat in silence. Rude and Reno broke out into an argument while Garnet and Ayané laughed at their antics. Cid slowly began to stop snoring, but only woke up fully when Reno fell on top of him. The older man woke up and let out a torrent of swear words. Reno ran for his life when Cid started to describe what he'd do to him. Roxas let out a small laugh as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"You're like a real family," he said quietly.

"We _are_ a real family," Riku replied. "It doesn't matter that we're not connected by blood. We forged our own ties. Every one of us looks out for each other. This is more than just the bonds we have as neutrals."

"I can see that," Roxas replied longingly. "Must be nice. Annoying at times, but nice."

Riku didn't reply for a while.

"I knew Sora, Roxas," he said quietly.

Now it was Roxas' turn to remain silent.

"Was he okay?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Not one hundred per cent. No kid who saw one brother murdered, another die painfully and the last torn away from him could ever be completely okay. I knew him from the orphanage they took him to," Riku replied.

"Please tell me his smile didn't fade. Please tell me that stupid grin was still plastered on his face. Because I swear…"

"It was Roxas. He would still grin, see the bright side. I'm the only one he would cry in front of. He told me all about you, Ventus and Cloud. I was the only kid who reached out to him, despite being older. And that's why I asked Xion if we could go and find you. Because I had to know if you were Roxas," Riku said glumly.

"Where is he now?"

"Don't know. He left the orphanage a month before I did. Said he had to do something to find you."

The two sat in silence once more. Roxas processed the information. Sora was alive. He was as okay as he could be and…. _he was looking for him_. Roxas had been trying to find Sora for five years now. The two were looking for each other. And now they had a link in the form of Riku. If Sora used Riku to communicate with the neutrals, Roxas would hear about it. He felt overjoyed that there was a chance of finding his brother. Even if he had his suspicions about that guard…

"You two okay?" Ayané asked, walking over.

"Yeah. I thought you were fixing breakfast?" Riku asked.

"Cid volunteered," Ayané said simply. Riku looked like he was about to protest when Ayané said: "So Garnet shot him down and decided to do it instead."

"That's a relief," Roxas said.

Cid's cooking skills or lack thereof were renowned throughout the neutrals.

"So Riku, you asked him about _that_ yet?" Ayané said, seating herself opposite the silver head.

"Not yet," Riku admitted.

"Ask me about what?" Roxas asked, confused.

"Naminé," Ayané replied. "Who do you think she is, Roxas?"

"Just a girl who's not had the greatest childhood and now wants to see the kites she's always dreamed about seeing," Roxas replied, sending Ayané a sideways glance.

"Roxas, you're supposed to be smart. Read between the lines a little," the girl rolled her eyes.

He thought about it for a second. "You're talking about the fact that she may be the lost princess, aren't you?"

"Correct. Pay up Ayané," Riku said, holding out his hand.

"How was I to know that he wouldn't be as stupid as he looks," Ayané grumbled, handing a bag of munny over to Riku.

"Did you bet on me!?" Roxas asked, outraged.

Riku and Ayané laughed at his anger. It took them a few minutes to calm down before they resumed the previous line of conversation.

"Okay, calm now," Ayané said, inhaling deeply. "But does she know?"

"No, I haven't told her," Roxas admitted.

"Why not?" Riku asked.

"Because a, I don't know for sure, b, she may not believe me and c, she would end up reacting _really _badly," the thief replied. "Trust me. From everything I've learnt about her, she wouldn't take the news that well."

"But what if she finds out? She'll probably ask you about the whole kites thing and figure it out for herself. She's a smart girl," Riku pushed further. Ayané connected the dots.

"That's another reason why you haven't told her. Because you're hoping she can figure it out for herself!" she exclaimed, piecing it all together.

"That, and because she hoped she'd learn something about herself on this journey. Maybe this is it," Roxas nodded.

"G'morning," a sleepy voice cut in. They turned to see a yawning Naminé. "What's for breakfast?"

Before answering and greeting his friend, Roxas shot Riku and Ayané a look. They nodded towards him quickly, answering his unspoken question. Satisfied, Roxas turned to greet Naminé and guide her over to where Garnet was making breakfast.

_Don't worry. We won't tell her._

* * *

Kairi sat down on a seat in a large garden, a book between her hands. She wasn't really reading it though. The words washed over her and her mind was drawn once more to Naminé. This was becoming a little odd now, the sheer amount of times she thought of her sister. While she did think of Naminé often, it was never quite this much.

Kairi had a niggling little feeling that something to do with said missing sister was going to happen. How she knew this was a mystery, so Kairi decided to pin it onto her Fae heritage. While being fully human, her Fae ancestry could be seen in her eyes and her hair, as well as the occasional feeling that something was going to happen. Perhaps the constant thoughts about Naminé were a sign her sister would return home soon? Kairi hoped so.

Despite never knowing exactly how Naminé looked like, Kairi always had a clear picture of her in her head. This she attributed to the painting of the girl in the white dress. She could practically see Naminé coming home soon.

"Princess Kairi, your friend has returned and is requesting to see you," a servant said, bowing respectfully.

Kairi's thoughts of Naminé were interrupted and she ran as fast as she could.

"Sora!" the young princess cried as she flung her arms around her friend, wincing when his chainmail knocked against her.

"Hey Kairi," Sora greeted back, returning the hug.

Realising what would happen if a servant walked in, they quickly pulled away from each other before sitting down on a nearby bench. They both were aware of the rumours. While they knew they like each other, they were both too nervous to act upon these feelings.

Also, anything they did would spread like wildfire around the palace staff and guards.

"Did you catch him? Cloud?" Kairi questioned.

"No…." Sora trailed off. Kairi knew something was off immediately.

"Sora what's wrong? Are you upset that you didn't catch him?" she asked.

"No, it's just…. Kairi, did I ever tell you what my surname was?" Sora sighed, getting a shake of a head in reply. "Strife. It's Strife."

"But that's….!" Kairi jumped up as realisation hit her. "Sora, who is he?"

"He's my brother," the teen guard replied.

And then he explained everything. How his parents died when he was a baby. How his aunt and oldest brother raised him. How when he was seven, Cloud was murdered. How a year later, Ventus died. And finally, how Roxas was dragged away from him and started to use Cloud's name.

"Kairi, if they catch him, you have to do something!" Sora said, on the verge of tears. "He's the only family I have left! They'll kill him unless you do something!"

Kairi hugged her friend. "Promise. I will."

* * *

Naminé's feet were aching. But they kept on saying they were nearly there! Maybe they actually meant it this time. They were due to arrive now. She trudged on, ignoring her the protests of her feet. So close!

"Hey Naminé! Come take your first look at the capital of Radiant Garden!" Roxas called out.

She ran to catch up to him and Riku, who had stopped their walking. She took in a deep breath and let out a gasp as she saw the large city and palace. Even though they weren't quite inside the city yet, Naminé could still see the beauty of the place. Flowers everywhere. Like the cities in her paintings.

But there was something odd about the flags flying around. Naminé was sure she'd seen that flower before.

* * *

**I promise to try and resume normal updates.**

**Sooo... I have a tumblr now! skylarwindsong. tumblr. com (Remove spaces!) Follow me? I'd love ya even more!**

**And it would be so awesome to see this as a manga or something, even if it's just fan-drawn. ****Unfortunately, drawing skills are lacking. Sigh...**

**And I'm thinking about removing the poll. I'd love to KH another film, but as soon as I'm done with T&T, there's another KH project I want to work on which would take up all my writing time... still deciding on what to do!**


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